Lowest on the Totem Pole
by Mattnextus
Summary: Once upon a time, there were two little girls who lived next to each other. For eleven years, they were separated - when they meet again, they find themselves looking at very different people. Each has been broken in her own way, will they find a way to fix each other? Modern AU, very light Elsanna, rated T for language
1. Prologue

Prologue

Once upon a time, there were two houses. One stood tall and grand, spilling out to the property's edge. The other barely stood, seemingly sagging from the shame of being compared to the house next door. The smaller stood in the middle of a wide expanse of property, nearly a quarter mile from the road. Both were nearly twenty minutes by car from any form of civilization. At the bottom of their shared driveway (paved, courtesy of the residents in the larger house), stood two lonely mailboxes, reading "Summers" and "Winters."

"Haha, your last name is Winters? That's funny, mine is Summers!"

Two young girls sat on the lawn in front of the little house, bundled up against the cold and looking at the sky, waiting for snow. The older had platinum blonde hair, nearly white, while the younger's was a beautiful shade of red.

"It means we're dustbinned to be together!" the younger giggled, lying on her back with her arms stretched out.

"Destined, you mean," the older girl corrected, smiling.

"That's what I said!"

"That would be nice," the older girl sighed, lying back and using the younger girl's arm as a pillow.

"It's true! I'll make it happen! We'll be together forever!" the younger girl looked at her friend and gasped as the first snowflake landed on her cheek. "It's snowing!" she squealed, shooting up to her feet. "You wanna make a snowman?"

The older girl nodded before hearing a loud voice that made her cringe and look back towards her house.

"Elsa Winters! You get back inside right this instant! You'll catch a cold out there!"

"Sorry," Elsa said quickly, breathlessly. "I have to go. Maybe when the snow sticks, and we actually have the materials to build a snowman." She placed a hand on the younger girl's cheek, just for a moment, before turning and running back to her house.

"See you later, Anna!" she shouted.

Anna waved at Elsa as the older girl ran back to her house. She stood outside for a long while, watching the snow fall and hoping for a glimpse of Elsa through the bedroom window on the second story.

While the snow was falling steadily, it still took hours for enough to pile up. It was nearly dark when Anna decided that there was enough snow for snowman-making. Seeing Elsa in her bedroom, Anna threw snowballs at the window in an attempt to catch the older girl's attention.

Elsa opened the window. _Success!_

"There's enough snow! Do you wanna build a snowman?" Anna shouted.

Elsa smiled and shut the window, and Anna could see her throwing on her winter coat. Barely able to contain her excitement, Anna ran to the property line that she was not allowed to cross. The front door to the big house opened slowly, and Elsa tiptoed out before gently shutting the door behind her and running down the steps. Together, the girls giggled and started building their snowman, careful to keep on Anna's side of the property line.

"What do you do up in your room all day?" Anna asked as they lifted the middle of the snowman onto the bottom.

"I study," Elsa said. "For school. You're old enough for school, right?"

"Mama's homeschooling me," Anna said glumly. "She's worried the other kids'll be mean, cause I'm _special_."

Elsa brought a hand to her mouth, gasping. "Oh, Anna, you're not –"

"Thank you, Elsa," Anna said quickly. "As long as I have you, I'll be okay."

As if on cue, the loud, grating voice sounded again. "Elsa Delle Winters!"

Elsa visibly cringed, her shoulders reaching up to her ears. "I'm sorry Anna," she said softly. "I have to go. I don't know when she'll let me out again."

"I'll finish Olaf!" Anna said, smiling. "I'll make sure he faces your window!"

"Good night, Anna," Elsa said, a sad smile on her face.

"Good night, Elsa!" Anna was once again calling after Elsa as the older girl ran back home.

When Anna was sufficiently pleased with how Olaf turned out, she patted him on the head and made sure he was waving at Elsa's window before going back inside to spend the rest of the evening with her family.

Elsa didn't come outside the next day, nor the day after that. Anna was becoming impatient. On the third day, she scrutinized the tree that grew next to Elsa's house. There were a few branches that butted up against the house near Elsa's window. If she could climb up there and tap on Elsa's window, maybe they could talk! What a great idea!

Without getting her mother's permission (which she never would have gotten and she knew it), Anna crossed the property line and began climbing the tree. It was slippery and covered in snow, but Anna fought her way through it, determined to see Elsa before the day was out.

_Tap tap tap-tap tap_

Elsa jumped at the sound of knocking on her window. Looking out, she saw Anna's smiling face and panic washed over her. Did the girl know how dangerous that was? She ran to the window, pulling it open and reaching for Anna's hand. She couldn't quite reach, and as Anna stretched to reach Elsa's hand, she lost her grip. Elsa watched her fall, unable to move until the girl hit the ground.

"ANNA!"


	2. Chapter 1

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 1

"ANNA!"

Elsa woke up, screaming a name that felt alien on her tongue after so long. Sitting up, she dragged her hand across her face to wipe off the cold sweat that had broken out while she was dreaming. She was still for a moment, listening to make sure she hadn't woken her roommate. When she was sure the other person was still asleep, Elsa stood and wandered out into the bathroom, turning on the sink and splashing her face with cool water.

"_Anna! Anna!" Elsa shouted as she ran down the stairs, her mother jumping up from her chair by the fire. Before she could run out the door, Elsa was caught from behind, her mother firmly grabbing her arm._

"_Mama, please! Anna's hurt!"_

_The rest of the night was a blur. Somehow, two women had made it outside, one with long brown hair and one with short, fluffy, platinum blonde hair that reminded Elsa of her own. The woman with brown hair was speaking to Elsa's mother while the other hunched over Anna. Elsa's mother was yelling._

"_Why was she even over here? I told you to keep your brat off of our property!"_

"_I'm sorry," the brown-haired woman said pleadingly. "I don't know how she got the idea, she won't do it again! I need to take her to the hospital, please let me leave."_

"_I will not be paying for this; don't even think about making an insurance claim."_

"_Mama," Elsa cried. "Anna needs help! She's hurt bad, Mama!" She tugged on her mother's shirt, trying to drag her back inside the house._

"_Leave," Elsa's mother said. "And you," she added, turning to Elsa. "What were you thinking, playing with a girl like her? You know I forbade you from playing with anyone like her."_

"_I'm sorry, Mama, I won't do it again," Elsa said, watching as the two women carried the smaller girl to their car._

"_That's right, you won't. She is not worthy of your friendship."_

Elsa shook, staring at her reflection. Things had changed so much since that day. 21 years old now, Elsa was a junior in college. Her white-blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders in a mess of tangles and Elsa winced as she ran a hand through it. She knew better than to sleep with her hair down. The bags under her bright blue eyes had deepened in the past few weeks – midterms were coming up and a full night's sleep was merely a pipe dream anymore.

Drying her face with a towel, Elsa made her way back to her bedroom. As she collapsed on her bed, she briefly wondered what it meant, dreaming of Anna after so long. The thought remained unanswered as she fell into a dreamless sleep, not to be disturbed until her alarm went off in the morning.

* * *

"Yo, Red!"

Anna looked up from her book, twin braids swaying, to see her cousin set a lunch tray across the table. She then looked at her own lunch tray, which she hadn't touched, and sighed. Tuna surprise was never actually a surprise, and Anna wasn't even sure if it was really tuna.

"What up, Rapunzel?" Anna replied as her cousin sat down. Her eyes drifted back down to her book, where she read a paragraph for the third time, still not processing what she was reading. She cursed, slammed the book shut, and forced herself to eat her lunch.

"Trouble studying again?" Rapunzel asked, running a hand through her short brown hair.

"It's just chemistry, as usual," Anna said through a mouthful of food. "I've never really gotten it. I wish I had taken biology instead."

"Ew, and had to do dissections? No thanks! Animals are way too cute for something like that!"

"What're you talking about, Rapunzel? Dissections are fascinating! Learning how everything fits and goes together and works together –"

"I'm eating, Anna. Changing the subject now," Rapunzel said, shuddering. "The local University is doing a mentor program. I know you're kind of iffy on what you want to do; you should see if you can get a mentor."

"I know what I want to do, kind of," Anna protested weakly. "I want to major in Business Management, at least."

"Perfect, they have a junior in the Business Management major that signed up to be a mentor. Seriously, Anna, this is a good opportunity. The only reason I'm not signing up is that they don't have any mentors for the Art department." Rapunzel handed Anna a sheet of paper with names and phone numbers.

After a cursory glance, Anna's eyes stopped and reread a single line three, four, five times before she smiled. "You're right, Rapunzel, I should do this," she said. "I'm gonna call tonight, okay?"

Rapunzel nodded and looked to the clock. "Your alarm's about to go off," she said. "Just as a warning."

Despite the warning (or perhaps because of it), Anna still jumped when her phone started making noise. She stood and grabbed her bag and lunch tray. "Thanks for this," she said, waving the paper Rapunzel had given her. "I'll see you in class."

Class, as usual, was a bore. If Chemistry was Anna's least favorite class, then math was a very close second. Anna had done well in geometry, but trigonometry was a lost cause. It was her hope to scrape by just enough to pass and graduate.

Anna was anxious, her toe tapping and her eyes not seeing the whiteboard she stared at. She wanted class, no, school to be over so that she could call the number she saw on the paper Rapunzel had given her. Unfortunately for Anna, the day passed at a snail's pace, and all she could think about was the name she had read earlier.

"Elsa Winters."

"Uh, hi," Anna said into her phone. "I, uh, I hope I'm not disturbing you. Uhm. I'm a high school senior and I saw the ad for mentors, and your name was on it and you were listed as a Business Management major, and that's what I want to do, I think, so I thought I'd give you a call and see if you had chosen a student to mentor yet," Anna breathed deeply, cursing inwardly at her rambling habit. She stopped when she heard a giggle from the woman she had called.

"That was a heck of a sentence. I have not chosen a student to mentor yet, and you're actually the first to call. Could I get your name?"

"Uh, it's Anna. Anna Summers. Nice to talk to you again, Elsa," Anna said, smiling.

Silence. Anna looked at her phone, wondering if Elsa had hung up, but the line was still active. "Elsa?"

"A-Anna?" Elsa replied weakly. "You're Anna Summers?"

"Yeah, and you're Elsa Winters!"

Elsa laughed. "And we're dustbinned to be together," she said softly.

"Dustbinned?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's what you said when we were younger. But hey, I have to get back to work. Sorry I can't talk longer, want to meet up this weekend and talk about this whole mentoring thing?"

"Yeah sure! Give me a call, or a text, to let me know when you're free, cause I work on the weekends sometimes and I never know if I do until a couple days before, but there's plenty of time in the day before work and I have a car so we can meet up wherever and-"

"Anna," Elsa interrupted, laughing, "I have to go. I'll call you on Friday, okay?"

"Yeah, uh, before five. I work evenings, so…"

"Then before five it is. I'll talk to you then."

"Bye, Elsa."

"Goodbye, Anna."

* * *

_A/N: What, followers already? Wow, cool! I figured since I already had this written, I'd post the first chapter early to celebrate! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!_

_**The Pianist's Touch:**__ Thanks for the review, hopefully I don't let you down!_

_-Matt_


	3. Chapter 2

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 2

Anna squealed, nearly bouncing in the seat of her car. She had talked to Elsa! She was going to see Elsa, after eleven years! Unable to sit still, Anna opened the door and climbed out, scanning the parking lot for Rapunzel's car. Spotting the car as well as the brunette standing next to it, Anna sprinted over to her cousin and picked her up in the biggest hug she had ever given.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouuuuuu!" Anna squealed as she spun Rapunzel around.

Rapunzel laughed, ruffling Anna's bangs. "You're welcome, I suppose," she said. "What did I do this time?"

"The mentor program!" Anna said, setting her cousin down. "I just called the Business Management mentor, her name is Elsa, and we lived next door to each other but we never got to see each other because her mom made her stay away after I broke my leg climbing the tree next to their house, and she's the mentor and I finally talked to her again and we're meeting up this weekend and oh God, Rapunzel, I'm so excited I might puke!"

Rapunzel stood in front of Anna, trying to process everything she had just said.

"Oh no," Anna groaned as she brought a hand up to her mouth. Rapunzel stepped back, grimacing, preparing for the inevitable return of the tuna surprise.

"What am I going to wear?" Anna asked worriedly, looking up at her cousin. "All I have are jeans, graphic tees, and flannels! How am I supposed to make a good impression when I look like a lesbian?"

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow.

"Not that there's anything wrong with looking like a lesbian, I just don't want Elsa to get the wrong idea cause I don't think I swing that way, though I'm not really sure, but I'm pretty sure I like guys I mean have you _seen_ Hans Isles?"

Rapunzel sighed. "You'll be fine, Anna. She may be some long-lost neighbor, but don't worry. You're awesome and I bet she'll see that. I mean, she knows who you are and still agreed to meet up with you right? Just… Hold off on the flannel the first time and you should be fine," she said, grinning and patting Anna's shoulder.

"That's probably for the best," Anna said. "Maybe I should just schedule it so that I have to go to work right after. My uniform doesn't look too terrible."

"You have all week to figure it out," Rapunzel said, poking Anna's nose. "Now I gotta get home, or else Mother will panic again. You know how she is."

"See you tomorrow, Rapunzel!" Anna said as she dashed back to her car. Jumping into the seat, she slammed the door behind her, buckled her seat belt, and turned the key in the ignition. Music started blasting and Anna bobbed her head and sang along as she slowly drove her beat up Saturn station wagon out of the parking lot.

Though Fridays always made Anna antsy, this particular Friday was worse than any before. If she had thought school passed by slowly on Tuesday, when she was waiting to call Elsa, time moved like an iceberg as she waited for Elsa to call her. Not even her favorite classes could hold her attention, and she was scolded by more than one teacher as the day progressed.

When school was _finally_ over, Anna booked it to her car, ignoring the shouts of students she pushed past in her rush. Rather than following the path, Anna jumped over knee-high concrete barriers and ran through the lawn, even though she knew she would receive a heavy scolding on Monday. Why was her sixth period class so far from the parking lot?

Anna wasted no time jumping in her car and starting the engine. While she wasn't the first out of the parking lot, she was out onto the road ten minutes earlier than usual. Elsa would call her sometime in the next two hours, and Anna didn't want to be caught driving.

Forty minutes after school let out, Anna's car puttered to a stop in the driveway of her home, the same house she had lived in as a child. Glancing at the monstrous house next door, Anna trotted up her steps and unlocked the front door. Her mother wouldn't be home until late, not that Anna would be home to greet her. The two rarely saw each other anymore, and that thought made Anna's heart sink.

Ignoring the loneliness that was beginning to creep in, Anna sat herself at the dining room table and pulled out her chemistry book, hoping to at least finish the chapter she needed to read over the weekend. Blocking out anything around her that was potentially distracting, Anna focused completely on the book, as if trying to physically cram all the information into her brain.

"_-Cut the drama, stay with Mama… Motheeeer-"_

Anna jumped, finally hearing her cell phone ring just in time to answer it with a hurried: "Hi, mom, sorry. Focused on my Chemistry book."

"It's fine, Anna, you need all the focus you can get when it comes to chemistry," Anna's mother replied. Anna could almost hear the grin on her mother's face.

"It was a good day today, wasn't it?" Anna asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Today's a good day," her mother confirmed. "So I'll be staying here as long as possible. Sorry we won't see each other again, dear."

"No, mom, it's fine," Anna lied, fiddling with the end of one of her braids. "She needs you. You need to be with her. I'm okay, I'm just going to work later."

"Please make sure you eat something before work, Anna. Something solid, not just chocolate."

Anna laughed. "You know me too well, mom. I'll warm something up for dinner. Have a good time, okay? I'm waiting on a phone call, so I gotta hang up."

"Thank you, Anna," Anna's mother said. "Have a good night at work, and I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Yeah mom, sounds good. Say hi for me, if it's that good of a day. Love you," Anna said.

"Love you too, dear. Goodbye."

With that, Anna hung up the phone and leaned back over her chemistry book, concentration returning with relative ease. She was on the last page of her chapter when her phone rang again, startling her out of her concentration.

"_I will ride, I will fly, chase the wind and touch the sky-"_

"H-Hello?" Anna said, answering the phone with a shaky hand.

"Hi Anna, it's Elsa. Sorry it took me a while, I was caught up at work."

Anna smiled. "It's okay, I almost finished reading this weekend's assigned chemistry chapter, so I don't mind. I'm really bad at chemistry after all, so finishing the chapter means I can ignore it for the rest of the weekend and worrying about it would really suck so I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore."

Elsa chuckled, and Anna realized she had been rambling again. She blushed, and was glad that Elsa couldn't see her. "So, uh, tomorrow. Tomorrow I work at four, do you want to meet in town for lunch or something? Or just coffee, if lunch is too big a commitment, I mean lunch means we're stuck together for a longer time and I dunno if you'd want that and I don't want to make assumptions, but I'm really in the mood for a good sandwich and there's a place I'd like to go but I hate going there by myself, so-"

"Anna, Anna," Elsa said quickly amidst laughter. "Calm down, there's no need to be nervous. Lunch sounds great, I like a good sandwich myself. You work at four, so how about meeting at one or two?"

"One's great!" Anna said, excited. "That's perfect, I hate having to drive into town more than once in a day, you know how far out we live. You moved out, though, right? Do you live in the city now?"

"I do, close to the University. I need all the study time I can get, so I decided to cut down on travel time. Where's this sandwich shop you're talking about?"

"Just a couple blocks from the high school, it's called Oaken's Sandwich Shop and Sauna!"

Elsa paused. "And sauna?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah, don't ask. I don't really get it, but Oaken's happy with it, so…"

"It just seems like a strange combination," Elsa said, laughing slightly.

"It certainly is," Anna agreed, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "Hey, so, I gotta get changed and ready for work. Tomorrow, one o'clock, at Oaken's Sandwiches?"

"Yeah," Elsa said. "I'll look up the address when I get home. If I get lost tomorrow, I'll give you a call, okay?"

"Sure thing! And if you want, my job's not too demanding, so I can text and stuff. Not that I expect you to want to text with me, but you know, if you want to I wouldn't be against it and actually I'd really enjoy it 'cause my job is so boring and I'd kill to have someone to talk to even for a few minutes but I work alone so I don't get to do that and-"

"Go get changed, Anna," Elsa said, laughing. "I'll shoot you a text in a while, okay?"

Anna's grin couldn't have been any wider. "Sure thing, talk to you later!"

"Later, Summers," Elsa said before hanging up the phone.

Anna set her phone on the table, leaning back in her chair with a grin to rival the Cheshire Cat. She ran a hand through her short bangs and sighed. "I really owe Rapunzel for this," she lamented.

* * *

_A/N: Wow, guys, I have followers! Wut? Hopefully this chapter keeps you happy. Things are still moving pretty slow, though this won't be a very exciting story. _

_Though it didn't start out this way, this story has become heavily inspired by the manga **Pieta**, by Nanae Haruno. If you like manga, lesbians, and meaningful stories, Pieta is a must-read!_

_Thanks again to all who read and review, it's very much appreciated!_

_~Matt_


	4. Chapter 3

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 3

At noon, Anna stood outside the doors of Oaken's Sandwich Shop and Sauna. The owner knew she was there, and had invited her in, but she had politely declined and explained she was waiting for someone. What she didn't mention was that she was an hour early, and the October winds were penetrating her uniform with little resistance. As she stood, shoulders up to her ears and arms crossed over her chest with her hands buried in the armpits of her sweater, Anna thought back to her conversation with Elsa the previous night.

'_And Sauna, huh? Ever been in the Oaken sauna? –E'_

'_Once, it was a little weird. His whole family was in there, so I felt a bit awkward. –A'_

'_You? Awkward? Never! –E'_

'_No, seriously, Oaken and his husband adopted like, ten kids. It was like intruding on family night. –A'_

'_That does sound super awkward, even for a normal person… -E'_

'_Are you saying I'm abnormal? – A'_

'_What? No, never. That would be rude, and I am a perfect example of politeness. – E'_

Anna giggled, but quickly turned it into a cough when she noticed the looks she was getting from passersby. She had kept Elsa up until, Anna assumed, the older girl passed out sometime around eleven. Once that happened, though, Anna found herself tapping a finger on her desk and watching seconds tick by for the last hour of her shift. Strange, how a normally semi-boring job can seem so much more boring after something fun happens.

"Yoo hoo, Anna, are you sure you don't want to wait inside?" A large man with a round face and curly blonde hair poked his head out the door, waving to the girl. "It's cold out here, ya? I'll give you hot chocolate, on the house while you wait!"

Anna paused. Free chocolate was tempting, but she didn't want to seem rude by going inside without Elsa. It _was_ cold, and hot chocolate sounded _really_ delicious, but she shook her head. "Thanks, Oaken, but it shouldn't be too much longer."

Oaken sighed, and pulled a paper cup out from behind his back. "I thought you might say that, drink this to keep warm, ya?"

Anna took the cup, feeling the warmth on her palms, and brought it up to her nose to smell the steaming liquid inside. Hot chocolate, of course. She gave Oaken a warm smile and waved as he walked back into the shop.

"What a guy," Anna murmured, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Almost too kind…"

Shortly after Anna finished her drink, she spotted a head of platinum blonde hair amongst the other pedestrians walking past the shop. Standing on her toes, she could almost see the bright blue eyes she expected, but she wasn't quite tall enough and resigned herself to waiting until the woman came closer.

When Elsa did, Anna's jaw dropped. Starting with her hair, Anna's eyes trailed down Elsa's body, taking in the woman that she had grown into. Platinum blonde bangs were brushed back and the rest of her hair tied in a braid that hung over her left shoulder. She wore a button-up, collared white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a long blue skirt with a light pattern. Anna couldn't quite tell whether the pattern was snowflakes or crystals.

Anna's eyes snapped up to meet Elsa's, the same bright blue they had been when they were children. Anna smiled.

"God _damn_, Elsa, what happened? You're freaking gorgeous!"

Elsa blushed, hiding a smile behind her hand. "Thanks, Anna, you're not so bad yourself. Still rocking the twin braids, I see."

"It's a good look for me, served me well over the years," Anna said, opening the door into the shop. "Age before beauty," she quipped, bowing low and gesturing for Elsa to go in first.

"No matter how you've grown, you'll always be a little brat, won't you?" Elsa said lightly as she walked past Anna, folding her arms behind her back.

"I don't think I've aged mentally since I was twelve," Anna joked, following Elsa into the store.

"Yoo hoo! Hello Anna and girlfriend!" Oaken stood behind the sandwich counter, waving at the two girls.

"Hey Oaken," Anna replied, not really listening to what he had said. Then she stopped. "Wait what?"

"Who else would you wait an hour outside for, ya?"

The color of Anna's face was close to matching her hair as she darted up to the counter. "She didn't need to know that!" she hissed, leaning across the counter and into Oaken's face.

"Ho ho, I think she did," Oaken said unapologetically, looking past Anna. "You're welcome!"

Anna sighed, her face close to its normal color as she leaned back away from the counter and looked back towards Elsa. The older woman had a slight smirk and a raised brow that made Anna flush all over again.

"You were out there for an hour?" Elsa asked, walking up behind Anna. "You could've called, I would have come earlier."

"No, no, it's just that if I don't get somewhere early, I'll get distracted and end up not showing up at all, so when I thought about leaving at 11:30, I had to leave right then otherwise I would have gotten caught up in something and not noticed until it was time for work and then I would have felt bad for standing you up so I just showed up early and waited."

"Still, call me if it happens again. I wouldn't mind getting someplace early," Elsa said before looking up at the menu posted on the wall behind Oaken.

"I can never decide between the tuna melt and the turkey, ham, and cheese melt," Anna mused, rubbing her nose with a finger.

"I was just trying to decide the same thing," Elsa said, looking over at the redhead. "I'll get the tuna, you get the ham and turkey, and then we can-"

"Finish each other's sandwiches!" Anna interrupted excitedly.

Elsa laughed, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. "That's what I was going to say," she said.

"One ham and turkey and one tuna, coming up!" Oaken said with a grin.

"Want to go grab us a table?" Anna said, looking up at Elsa. "I'll take care of this and be right behind you."

"Are you sure?" Elsa asked. "I can pay for my own sandwich."

"Nah, go!" Anna said, gently pushing Elsa towards the tables. She didn't notice how Elsa stiffened at the touch. "I invited you out; it's only fair that I pay."

Elsa didn't argue any further, and Anna watched as the older woman slowly walked through the tables, trying to decide which one was best. When Anna looked back at Oaken, she was greeted with a knowing grin and a raised eyebrow. Somehow she managed not to blush again.

"It's not like that," Anna mumbled, pulling her wallet out of her right pocket. "Can you add two hot chocolates to the order?" She handed Oaken a twenty dollar bill without waiting for him to tell her the total.

"It may not be like that now," Oaken said, opening the register, "but there looks to be opportunity. Don't let it pass you up, ya?" He handed Anna her change and turned to make the cups of hot chocolate as Anna waited.

_Opportunity? _Anna thought. She shrugged, glancing over at Elsa, who had finally chosen a table. The woman sat with her back straight and ankles crossed, hands folded neatly in her lap as she looked out the window. "I'm so not ready to think about any of that," she murmured, turning to take the two cups Oaken offered her.

"I'll bring your sandwiches to you, ya? Go on, sit, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Anna smiled appreciatively at the big man before walking over and sitting across from Elsa, sliding one of the cups over the tabletop. "I hope you like chocolate, still," she said with a grin.

"Chocolate is the food of the Gods," Elsa mumbled just loud enough for Anna to hear. She gratefully picked up the cup and brought it to her lips, hoping it wasn't too hot to drink straight away. When she brought the cup down, Anna couldn't help but laugh at the hot chocolate moustache that the blonde sported.

"You're too cute," Anna managed to say between fits of laughter. She handed Elsa a napkin, grinning.

Elsa quickly wiped her mouth before redirecting attention towards Anna. "So," she said, gesturing at Anna's uniform, "did you join the military, or does your job just want it to look like you did?"

"I work private security. They like us to look official and such, so we get paramilitary uniforms. The shirts and pants aren't very comfortable, but the sweaters are the best!"

"That sweater does look comfortable," Elsa said, taking another drink of her hot chocolate. "So where do you work? A school or something?"

"Nah, an office building in downtown. Just a bunch of computers and stuff, but it's limited access because there's some information in there that they don't want getting out. So I just watch the security cameras and patrol around the building to make sure it's secure at night after everyone leaves."

"That sounds very…" Elsa paused, searching for the right word. "Interesting? Exciting? Fun?"

Anna laughed. "None of those things," she said. "Uneventful, boring, lame, more like. Nothing happens, and that's how we like it. A quiet night is a good night for a security officer. They let me do my homework, though, once everyone's gone, so I'm basically getting paid to do what I'd be doing at home anyway."

"That seems like quite the deal for you," Elsa said, looking up as Oaken brought their sandwiches to the table.

"I went ahead and split them for you, ya? You each have one half of both sandwiches," Oaken said, grinning widely as he set the plates down in front of the girls.

"Thanks, Oaken, you're the best!" Anna said with a grin. "I'm starting to think I should come here more often!"

Anna hadn't thought it possible, but the large man's face lit up even more. "Oh, you flatterer! Here, free passes to Oaken sauna. Say hello to my family sometime, ya?"

Anna and Elsa held back giggles as Oaken hurried away, picking up plates from a deserted table on his way back to the counter. Anna looked at Elsa and grinned, grabbing her napkin and laying it on her lap. "You ready?" she asked.

"So ready," Elsa replied, setting her napkin in her lap as well.

Elsa picked up the tuna half of her sandwich while Anna picked up the ham and turkey half of hers. A few people turned to look at the pair of girls in surprise as delighted moans escaped their throats. Anna was practically squealing as she chewed, her eyes closed as she savored the ham and turkey melt. Elsa was not so obvious, but it was clear she was enjoying her sandwich as well.

"Thish ish the besht shandwish I'b eber had!" Anna said after taking a second bite.

Elsa was polite enough to finish chewing her food before speaking. Like her mother always said, she hadn't been raised by cavemen. "It is definitely very good. I've had better food, but certainly not better sandwiches."

"Just wait till you get to the ham and turkey," Anna said between bites. She was already done with the first half of her sandwich and was picking up the tuna melt. "You'll be singing Oaken's praises then."

Elsa made a noncommittal sound, watching Anna devour the rest of her sandwich. It was rather impressive, really, the amount of food the girl could stuff in her face at any given moment. Elsa wondered for a moment if Anna could just dislocate her jaw and swallow her food whole somewhat like a snake. Shaking the thought from her mind, Elsa continued eating her sandwich. Though she hadn't eaten breakfast and was ravenous, she ate slowly and avoided making a mess. Again, she hadn't been raised by cavemen.

By the time Elsa moved on to the second half of her sandwich, Anna was finished with hers and slowly sipping her hot chocolate. She avoided watching Elsa eat out of habit; she knew too many people who disliked it when people watched them eat. She leaned back in her chair and looked out the window, content with silence as Elsa finished eating. Anna's eyes were looking at the people walking past the restaurant, but she wasn't really seeing them. Her mind had drifted off, beginning a tangent that could go on for hours.

Elsa watched Anna for a few moments after finishing her sandwich and wiping her mouth with her napkin. Oaken quietly came by and took their empty plates, but Anna didn't notice. Elsa could see that Anna's eyes weren't following the movement of pedestrians, which meant they were unfocused and unseeing. The redhead's mouth was moving, as if she was talking, but there were no sounds coming out. Elsa, slightly concerned, cleared her throat.

"So, about the mentoring program," Elsa said quietly. Anna started, nearly jumping to her feet, and jerked her head to look at Elsa with wide eyes. It took her a moment to reply.

"Oh! Yeah, the mentoring program. The whole reason we're even here. Sorry about that, I was lost in my head for a little bit." Anna blushed, looking at the table and twiddling her thumbs.

"It's quite fine," Elsa said gently. "Thank you for allowing me to finish my sandwich in peace. Now then, since you were the first and only student to contact me about mentorship, we can consider it decided that this will happen. Hopefully you'll stick with me for the remainder of the school year, or else I won't get the credits I need."

"Trust me, Elsa, I'm not going anywhere," Anna said with a smirk.

"Then the next issue is how we're going to go about this mentoring thing. I can show you what I think it means to be a Business Management major, and then we can move forward from there, if that's all right with you?" Elsa said hesitantly.

"Sure, I know about as much about mentoring as you do," Anna replied, shrugging. "I'm free Monday through Thursday after school, and before four on weekends. Most of the time at least. Sometimes an emergency comes up, but those are always surprises and happen less and less often these days."

Elsa studied Anna's face, confused. What were the emergencies she was talking about, and why did she seem sad that they didn't happen as often? She decided it would be against her best interest to pry and moved on with the conversation. Curiosity did kill the cat, after all.

"That's quite fine, just give me a call if an emergency comes up. How would you feel about coming to work with me on Monday after school? I feel like that's really the best place to start."

Anna's face lit up and she sat up straight, nearly bouncing in excitement. "That sounds great! Where do you work? What time?"

"I work at a warehouse not too far from here, and I work swing shift starting at three in the afternoon. Will that work for you?"

"Absolutely! I'm so excited!"

After making their plans to meet up on Monday, the two women sat and talked for another hour. At some point, new cups of hot chocolate had shown up on the table, though neither of them had seen Oaken drop them off. They were too focused on each other, feeling each other out and meeting all over again. Some things were the same – both women loved chocolate, Anna had a habit of mispronouncing words, Elsa was kind but not too overexcited – but both girls had changed, and neither knew if it was really for the better.

Anna was reserved. As a child, she had worn her heart on her sleeve. Elsa couldn't tell what Anna was feeling anymore; there were too many walls between them. Some of the walls were her own. Elsa couldn't bring herself to move through those walls, not yet. But she felt that maybe, given time, the space between her and Anna would lessen.

For all her apparent carelessness and obliviousness, Anna was keeping a close watch on Elsa's reactions. When Elsa stiffened at a subject being brought up, Anna dropped it and avoided mentioning it again. Elsa had always been sensitive, but it seemed to Anna that she had become even more so over the years. Conversational land mines were surrounding Anna, and her only hope was to catch herself before she put her full weight right on top of one.

Neither girl had noticed the rain start until it was time for them to leave. Anna glanced out the window and deflated, seeing all of the umbrellas making their way down the street. She pouted slightly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I was hoping the rain would wait until tomorrow," Anna mumbled. "Where'd you end up parking?" she asked, looking up at Elsa.

"Oh, uh… I didn't, I walked here," Elsa admitted, looking away from Anna.

"Oh, okay, then I'll walk you – wait, what? From the U district? Shit, Elsa, I drive right by there on my way here, I could have picked you up! Let me drive you home, at least, you shouldn't be walking out in this weather."

"That's okay, Anna, the U district is out of your way and you need to get to work. I'll be fine," Elsa said quickly.

Anna looked at Elsa, raising an eyebrow. "Elsa, you're in a white shirt. The U district is a half hour walk from here. It's pouring and doesn't show any sign of letting up. I'm going to drive you home." There was a sense of finality in Anna's voice, one that dared Elsa to challenge her.

"Well, when you put it that way," Elsa mused, "I guess I should just thank you and stop arguing."

"Good," Anna said smugly, nodding. "Now come on, I'll race you to the car!" She took off towards the door, shouting a quick goodbye to Oaken and promising to come back soon.

"That's not fair!" Elsa called out as she ran after Anna. "I don't know where the finish line is!"

Anna laughed and turned slightly so that she could see Elsa. "Guessing's half the fun!"

* * *

_A/N: Hello! Finally, Anna and Elsa meet face to face! Hopefully it was all you guys had dreamed of and more! Two things:_

_The joy of being a woman in this day and age is that you can tell another woman that they're gorgeous without it being awkward. While Anna is somewhat awkward in the movie, I don't think it should be something that defines her, either, which is why I didn't use the usual "You're gorgeous - wait, what?" line. Never fear, Anna will be cute and awkward at times, but it won't be her defining characteristic._

_The next is that some of you have had concerns about just how much Elsanna this is going to be. Without giving spoilers, this is the most I can say: this story will **never** have an "M" rating. No smut will be involved, between Elsa and Anna or otherwise. I just don't enjoy writing it, so that's that. _

_Thanks for reading, and please review to let me know how I'm doing!_

_~Matt_


	5. Chapter 4

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 4

Anna won the race, of course, but only just. Elsa was right behind her, shielding her head from the rain with her arms. Anna unlocked the passenger side of the car first, opening that door to reach in and unlock the door behind it. From the backseat, she pulled out a black jacket and tossed it to Elsa.

"Put that on, and get in before your shirt soaks through!"

Elsa didn't argue and pulled the coat around her shoulders as she sat in the passenger seat of the old car. Anna jogged around and unlocked the driver's side, pulling the door open and jumping into her seat. She glanced at Elsa before leaning back between the seats and rustling around in the back. Elsa pressed herself against the door as Anna inadvertently invaded her seat.

"Aha!" Anna slid back into her own seat with a bath towel in her hands. "I knew I had one of these somewhere!" She tossed it over Elsa's head before buckling her seatbelt and starting the car.

Elsa jumped when Anna's music started playing, so loud that she could barely hear her own thoughts. The younger girl scrambled to turn the music down, shooting an apologetic smile her way. Elsa leaned back in her seat, towel around her neck, and buckled her own seatbelt. She watched Anna as she backed out of the parking spot, somewhat surprised at the serious look on her face. Glancing down at the gear shift as Anna moved it, Elsa noticed something she wasn't used to seeing.

"You drive a stick?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, this girl's old! Stick shift, manual locks, windows you have to actually roll down – even the roof racks whistle when you get going fast enough! She runs nice, though, and I wouldn't trade her for anything," Anna replied, reaching up and patting the dashboard. "I'll be sad when she reaches the end of her life."

"I'm impressed, I haven't the faintest idea how to drive a stick," Elsa admitted.

"I'll teach you sometime," Anna offered. "It's a good skill to have, just in case. Driving a stick forces me to pay more attention when I drive. Right or left?"

"Left here, right at the next light," Elsa said. "I'd like that. I kind of want a Mustang someday, and there's no point if it's not a stick. At least that's what I hear."

"You hear correctly," Anna said, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel in time with the song that was playing. "Can't use any sports car properly if it's an automatic. Gotta have complete control."

"You never struck me as a control freak," Elsa joked. She immediately regretted it, though, when she saw the look on Anna's face.

"A lot of things have changed since the last time we met," Anna said, not meeting Elsa's eyes. "I guess that's one of them."

Not knowing how to properly respond without making the situation worse, Elsa let the conversation die. She leaned back into her seat, watching trees and cars fly by through the windshield. Aside from the occasional direction, she and Anna didn't speak for the rest of the drive.

"I'll walk you to your door," Anna said as she parked her car in front of Elsa's apartment building. It was a statement, not an offer.

"You don't have to," Elsa said, unbuckling her seatbelt. She said it to be polite, not really to argue with Anna. "I'm a big girl, I can make it inside on my own."

"I need my jacket back," Anna said, shrugging. "It's part of my uniform. I'm not going to make you walk to your apartment without it, so I'll walk with you."

Elsa nodded as she opened her door and climbed out of the car. "I'm up on the third floor, but the stairway's inside. You can just walk me to the bottom of the stairs."

Anna did just that, silently following a couple of steps behind Elsa. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets and her shoulders hunched forward as if she were shielding herself from the rain, but something about her expression gave Elsa the idea that there was something more at play. Her eyes were downcast and unfocused, as if she were ashamed or insecure or… Something. Elsa wanted to say something, to ask what was wrong, but the words died in her throat. She wasn't ready for Anna to pry, so she wasn't going to ask about Anna's personal issues.

"Thanks," Elsa finally settled on saying. "For lunch, that is. And the jacket. I had a great time today; I'm glad we got the chance to see each other again."

"Me too," Anna said, finally looking Elsa in the eye. They had stopped in front of the stairwell entry, Elsa pulling off the black jacket. "Can I hug you?"

Elsa froze, halfway out of the jacket. Her eyes were locked with Anna's, and she saw hope die in the younger girl's blue eyes each second she took to respond. She found herself unable to move, unable to speak, as Anna fell back behind her walls.

"I'm sorry," Anna said quickly, looking away from Elsa. "Of course not, that was stupid of me to ask. I mean, why would you want to hug me? I'm just a student you're mentoring, not anybody special, I'm surprised you even took time out of your day to spend with me-"

"Anna, stop that," Elsa finally said, a little firmer than she intended. "You are special, so stop talking shit about yourself. I just… It's not you, it's me." Elsa laughed a little in spite of herself. "Sounds a bit cliché, I know, but it's true. It's not that I don't want to hug you; I just don't want to hug anyone. I'm not big on touching. Nothing personal at all."

Anna's eyes widened in realization as Elsa finished removing the jacket and held it out towards the younger girl. "Shit," she said as she took the jacket from Elsa, careful not to brush fingers. "I'm so sorry. I touched you today, didn't I? I had no idea, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Anna," Elsa said softly. "Like you said, a lot of things have changed in the past eleven years. It'll take some time to get used to everything."

Anna nodded, smiling softly. "Well, if you're ever up for a hug I'll be here. But for now, I need to get to work."

"You'll be the first to know if I'm ready," Elsa replied. "Thanks again for today, I mean it. I'll text you later, okay?"

Anna's soft smile grew into a wide grin. "Sounds great! See you Monday!" And with that, Anna turned and ran back to her car, pulling the jacket around her shoulders and enjoying the residual warmth it still had. Elsa watched her turn the car on, turn her music back up, and drive away before she began climbing the stairs to her apartment.

Once inside, Elsa slipped off her shoes and collapsed on the couch in her living room, not even bothering to change out of her damp clothes. She unbuttoned the top two buttons on her shirt, finally getting a little breathing room.

"That bad, huh?"

Elsa looked up at her roommate, a tall man with blonde hair and broad shoulders. He looked almost like he had just woken up, still sporting bedhead and reindeer pajama pants.

"No, Kris, it went great," Elsa said softly. "It sure wore me out, though. Can you make some coffee?"

"Already done, I'll pour you a cup," Kristoff said, smiling. "I'm glad you had a good time. I've been wondering when you'd get around to making some friends other than me."

Elsa smiled gratefully as Kristoff wandered back into the living room with a steaming cup in his hands. "I think she might stick around," she said. "You'll like her, she's a lot like you."

Kristoff sat on the opposite end of the couch from Elsa, picking up the TV remote as he did. He turned on the television and browsed through the channels, hoping for some movie or sports game to provide adequate entertainment for the rest of their lazy Saturday. Elsa shifted on the couch and stretched out so that she was leaning against the armrest and her feet were in Kristoff's lap.

Kristoff patted Elsa's ankles as he leaned back into the couch, satisfied with the football game playing on the television. He glanced at Elsa, who was lost in thought and staring into her coffee, not even noticing the game. Smiling, he rested one hand on Elsa's leg and turned back to the television.

* * *

_A/N: Dun Dun DUNNNN - The plot thickens! Sort of. There's not much of a plot, sorry. Anyway, thought I should upload this just because I love you guys. I'm enjoying writing this so much, I may switch permanently to twice weekly updates!  
_

_Thanks to all for the reviews, and I look forward to more of them! Let me know how I'm doing, ya?_

_~Matt_

_PS: I used to drive a Saturn station wagon, can you tell I miss it?_


	6. Chapter 5

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 5

As Anna stumbled out of her bedroom late Sunday morning, she smelled something delicious coming from the kitchen. She wandered in that direction with a groan, seeing her mother cooking pancakes. From the smell they seemed to be chocolate chip pancakes, which, to Anna, was worth waking up for.

"Good morning Anna," Anna's mother, Teresa Summers, said lightly without turning around.

Realizing that it was the first time she had seen her mother since Monday, Anna walked up behind the older woman and wrapped her arms around her waist in a tight hug. "Morning, Mom," she mumbled, her cheek resting between Teresa's shoulder blades, long brown hair tickling her nose. "Pancakes smell delicious."

"Thanks, dear, sorry I wasn't able to make you breakfast yesterday." Teresa glanced at the clock and smiled. "Though I suppose this is more of a brunch."

"Hey, us kids need our sleep after our wild nights out," Anna joked, releasing her mother from the death grip and sitting down at the kitchen table. "Shoulda seen me last night, got all sorts of wild and rowdy!"

"Oh, did you take the stairs two at a time again?"

"I still can't believe I actually got in trouble for that, but no, I didn't. Your dearest daughter, your only child, the one to carry on your name and legacy spent her entire shift at work texting with a new friend," Anna said, as if it was a terrible confession to make.

"You don't say?" Teresa said, flipping the last pancake onto a plate with the rest she had made. "A friend you haven't even told your mother about, they must be something special."

"I'm telling you _now_, mom, I haven't seen you since I met her," Anna said, slightly harsher than she had intended. She immediately regretted her tone when she saw her mother flinch. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, trying to salvage the situation. "I didn't mean to say it like that. I just, I was so excited to talk to her and I wanted to tell you about her in person instead of over the phone, because I think we might end up being good friends and I just…"

It wasn't often that Anna didn't have anything to say, but this was one of those times. She looked up at her mom, hoping that she had sufficiently quelled the rising guilt. She saw Teresa smiling at her and heaved a sigh of relief, slumping in her chair.

"So, tell me about her," Teresa said, loading Anna's plate with pancakes. There was a strange, mischievous sparkle in her eye that made Anna nervous. "What's her name? Is she pretty?"

"She's Elsa Winters, the neighbor kid," Anna said, stuffing almost an entire pancake in her mouth. "And she's fucking gorgeous. I mean seriously, she should probably model or some shit. She's got hair blonder than Mom's, but she's got it long and braided with her bangs swept back and she's got the fairest skin I've ever seen and these stunning blue eyes and – and – and she's taller than you, Mom! She wasn't even wearing heels!"

"Sounds like you've got it bad," Teresa said, grinning. "When are you going to bring her home to meet the parents?"

"Got it bad?" Anna repeated, confused. Her eyes widened when she realized what Teresa meant and suddenly her pancakes seemed quite fascinating. "No, no I don't, it's not like that. She's pretty and all, but I'm so not ready for any of that stuff. Got my own shit to work through before I deal with someone else's."

"That's a good way to look at things," Teresa said, reaching across the table and placing her hand on top of Anna's. "But still, I would like to meet her. I haven't seen her since the time you broke your leg. She seemed like a nice enough girl."

"She's different now," Anna said. "Still nice, still kind, but I think we need to figure each other out a little more before I bring her home."

"After eleven years, one can hardly expect things to be the same," Teresa said, nodding slowly. "Even the most stubborn of people will change over that amount of time, and children are the most pliable. In eleven years, a child can easily grow into an entirely different person."

"Don't go getting all 'Professional Psychiatrist' on me, Mom," Anna said, making air quotes with her free hand. "I get enough of that as is. Besides, I like you best when you're being your dorky self."

Teresa laughed softly. "You sound so much like Claire sometimes, Anna."

When Monday morning rolled around, Anna found herself waking up in a great mood. Surprisingly (to her most of all), it had only taken one alarm to rouse her. She was showered, dressed, and downstairs with plenty of time before she had to leave for school. Looking out the window as she ate her cereal, she noticed that it was raining again. With her spoon hanging from her mouth, she pulled her phone out of her pocket to send a text message to Elsa.

"_Looks like the rain's going to stick around. I'll pick you up after I get out of school and drive you to work, if that's okay. – A"_

Returning to her cereal, Anna watched as her mother made her way out of the master bedroom. It was clear where Anna had gotten her morning manners from, as Teresa's long brown hair stood out in all directions, a frizzy mess from a rough night of sleep.

"Morning, mom," Anna said cheerily. She giggled as Teresa took Anna's cup of coffee and drained it, grimacing.

"How much sugar did you put in there?" Teresa asked, unceremoniously dropping onto another chair. She looked blankly at the empty bowl in front of her, as if it would fill itself.

"Enough to make it tolerable. There's a whole pot of black coffee on the counter just for you," Anna said.

"What's got you up and excited so early? I usually have to drag you kicking and screaming," Teresa asked, getting up to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"I dunno, I guess I'm excited 'cause I get to see Elsa again today. She's letting me tag along to her job – she's my college mentor, you know – to show me what she thinks it means to be a Business Management major. I can't wait to see what kind of work she does; I bet she's a high-ranking manager or a personal assistant or something."

"Well," Teresa said, sitting back down and sipping her coffee, "let me know if you won't be back for dinner. Should I still call you if I find out that you can come down?"

"Always, mom. Doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing, if I can be there, I need to be there."

"Perfect. Now get your butt out to the car or you'll be late. And grab the cinnamon for me on the way by," Teresa said, pointing at a jar on the counter.

Anna leapt up, looking at the clock and realizing that her mother was right. "Who puts cimmanon in black coffee, seriously? You're so weird," she said as she handed the jar to Teresa. Teresa raised an eyebrow, but didn't correct Anna's mispronunciation. She had tried before, but Anna was never going to change how she said it.

"Yeah, yeah, now get out of here. I have to be up early tomorrow too, so I'll see you at breakfast again," Teresa said, lightly backhanding Anna's behind as the girl walked away, eliciting a quick yelp and an embarrassed, "Mom!"

Luckily for Anna, the day at school passed quickly. Unluckily for Anna, it was because she remembered her chemistry test in last period and spent every spare minute trying to cram information into her head. She barely even spoke to Rapunzel at lunch, except to say hello as the brunette sat down and goodbye as Anna's alarm went off. Only when she shut the alarm off on her phone did she realize she had gotten a response from Elsa.

"_I suppose I don't have much choice, do I? :) I'll be waiting at the University's visitor parking.-E"_

Anna typed out a hasty reply as the bell rang, signaling that it was time to get to her next class. She quickly ducked into the nurse's office, where the kind woman was already waiting for her. Taking the offered pill from the tray, Anna popped it in her mouth and washed it down with a little paper cup of water. Anna thanked the nurse as she crushed the cup and tossed it into the trash can before hurrying off to class.

* * *

_A/N: Hi all! Sorry for the lack of Elsa in this chapter, but I needed to get some background on Anna going. Someday, maybe we'll have a chapter of just Elsa!_

_So I've just now started actually planning this thing out (apparently just going with the flow of things leads to plot holes, who knew?). If you notice anything contradictory, please let me know and I'll do my best to fix it._

_Thanks as always to my readers, I love you all! If you're ever curious, you can find me on tumblr as both **nextusart** and **nextuswriting**._

_Till chapter 6!_

_~Matt_


	7. Chapter 6

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 6

"Hey girl, heeeeyyyy!"

Elsa turned to see Anna's car slowly rolling towards her and Anna comically stretched over the passenger seat, attempting to roll the window down. Not necessarily a difficult task in and of itself, but when combined with attempting to steer, not stall out, and look cool all at the same time, Anna was being just a little bit ridiculous. By the time she pulled up next to Elsa, the window was fully rolled down and Elsa could see Anna's grinning face.

"So I totally almost got lost on the way here, I definitely didn't expect this much traffic between the high school and the university, I mean, who would be driving that direction right after school, you know? Hey, get in the car before you get soaked through, huh? At least your shirt isn't white today, but that skirt definitely is and that could be just as bad!"

Anna had turned down her music in advance, and Elsa could hear it softly playing in the background as she lowered herself into the passenger seat, setting her bag between her feet. She found herself wondering what kind of music Anna listened to, but stowed that question away for another time.

"Thanks for picking me up," Elsa said, buckling her seatbelt before folding her hands in her lap. "I don't mean to be a bother or anything, and I certainly didn't offer to be your mentor just so that you would be my chauffeur."

"Don't worry about it," Anna said, lifting her hand to tap Elsa in the shoulder. She stopped just short, remembering, and the hand returned to the gear shift. "I like driving, so it's not putting me out or anything. And driving is so much better with a passenger, anyway."

"Ah, turn left here, you'll miss most of the traffic on this road," Elsa said, pointing at a street slightly ahead of them.

"See? Navigators, FTW!"

"FTW?" Elsa repeated, confused.

"Oh, it means 'for the win,' you know, an acronym or whatever. Started on the internet, not that I spend very much time on the internet, I've just kind of caught on to the language they use because it's pretty fun. There's a lot of cool people on the internet! I once talked with a Nigerian prince who needed a loan, but I didn't have the money to give him so I just chatted with him instead. He disappeared awful fast once he realized I really didn't have any money for him, though."

"You know those guys aren't actually princes, right?" Elsa said cautiously. "It's a scam."

"Well duh," Anna replied, once again almost hitting Elsa's shoulder. "It was still fun to talk to him, though. I know he probably made it all up, but it's the internet, so who cares?"

Elsa shied away from Anna's hand, but noticed that it stopped short of where her shoulder had been, not following her movement. "Why do you do that?" she asked.

"Talk to random people on the internet? Because-"

"No," Elsa interrupted. "You reach out to touch me, but stop short. Why?"

"You don't like to be touched, so I don't touch you," Anna said, confused at Elsa's confusion.

"Why reach out at all, then?"

"I can't sit still while I talk," Anna admitted. "I have to make gestures, and a lot of what I normally do involves touching the person I'm talking to. So I just… proceed as usual, but stop short. Sorry if it makes you uncomfortable."

"It doesn't," Elsa said quickly, surprising herself. It wasn't a lie; Anna's movements didn't make her uncomfortable. She wasn't ready to be touched by Anna, and the girl's consideration made Elsa happy. Maybe grown-up Anna wasn't so different from the little girl Elsa had played with, the girl who had done her best to accommodate everyone's needs. She had always been the first to offer a compromise when opinions differed.

"Oh, turn here and park in this lot. We're going to Suite E," Elsa said, pointing to a complex on the right side of the road.

Anna did as Elsa said, finding a parking spot relatively close to their suite. As they stepped out of the car, Anna locked her door and, rather than heading straight to the building, walked over to the passenger side to open and lock that door as well. Elsa apologized, having forgotten that Anna's car didn't have automatic locks.

"It's fine," Anna said, grinning. "No one remembers. Making sure the passenger side is locked has become habit now. Now then, lead the way, Your Highness." She made a deep, exaggerated bow and flourished her hand.

"Be careful," Elsa said, raising an eyebrow. "That might be something I could get used to. Now stand up and stop goofing off, I want you to meet my coworkers."

"Yes'm!"

The building Elsa led Anna to had a small office. Anna counted four desks, and all of them had occupants already. Looking through a window on one of the interior walls, she saw the massive expanse of warehouse that surrounded the little office. She jumped when she heard Elsa call her name, and followed the older woman further into the building.

"Wait here for a moment," Elsa said, taking her bag into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

Anna was terribly confused. There was no room for Elsa in the office, nor had she been introduced to any of the people there. Where exactly, then, did Elsa work? Was there another office in the building? Why had she gone into the bathroom so soon after arriving? What was in her bag? Anna was so lost in thought, she didn't notice Elsa step out of the bathroom.

"Anna?"

Anna jumped, forcibly jerked from her thoughts, and her mouth dropped open when she saw Elsa. The woman was no longer wearing the skirt and collared shirt, but instead thick blue cargo pants that were tucked into heavy black boots, what looked like a plain grey T-shirt, a bulky blue jacket that matched her pants, and a black beanie over her hair. Her braid was tucked in the back of the jacket, and there was a white patch on her left breast that read "Winters."

"Wait, what?"

A cheeky grin spread across Elsa's face, and suddenly she seemed a lot more open than she had when it was just her and Anna. Anna didn't have enough time to wonder why that was.

"Come on, then, let's introduce you to the guys," Elsa said, pushing open yet another door. This one led into the warehouse, and Anna couldn't help but gape at the high ceilings, shelving stacked with boxes, and full pallet racking. There had to have been thousands upon thousands of square feet that made up the warehouse. She heard a beeping noise and turned to see a man backing up in a forklift, carrying a pallet full of boxes.

"Stay behind the yellow line on the floor," Elsa said. "Inside the yellow, you're safe from the forklifts. Only employees equipped with safety shoes are allowed past the yellow lines."

Anna nodded, unable to find words. She followed Elsa through the warehouse, continuing to gape, her excitement growing as they stopped in front of a desk.

"This is my work station, though I'm rarely on the computer," Elsa said, gesturing to the neat desk in front of them. "As you can see, I don't work in the office, nor do I work in management at all. To put it simply, Anna, I'm a warehouse rat."

"The best one around, too!" Anna turned to see a tall, blonde man with a big smile on his face. He was dressed the same as Elsa, but the patch on his jacket read "Bjorgman." "What up, Winters?"

"Kristoff," Elsa said politely. "This is Anna, she's the high school student I told you I was mentoring."

"Hi," Anna said quickly, giving the man a quick little wave. "I'm Anna Summers, and like Elsa said I'm a high school senior, so she's mentoring me because I want to be a Business Management major, I think, and she's in that major, so she's gonna help me figure out what I need to do, so she thought I should see where she works and here I am and-"

"Settle down, kid," Kristoff laughed, slapping a big hand onto Anna's shoulder. "You're more nervous than Twilight Sparkle on a test day!"

Elsa groaned, bringing a hand up to massage her temples. "Kris, what have I told you about-"

"No way, man!" Anna nearly shouted, interrupting Elsa and stepping so that she was near nose-to-nose with Kristoff. "Did you even _see_ the season three opener? She literally sang for two minutes about failing a test. No one, and I mean _no one_, is more nervous than Twilight Sparkle on test day."

Kristoff stared at Anna, mouth open, for a moment before grinning. "You were right, Winters," he said, looking excitedly at Elsa. "I like her already!"

"Just what I needed," Elsa groaned, eyes closed. "Kris, get to work. There's gotta be some orders to pull, yeah?"

"I get it, I get it," Kristoff said, overdramatically faking being hurt. "You don't want me here. It's okay, really, I'll just go to the back of the cold, dark warehouse to pull orders."

Elsa watched him walk away with a raised eyebrow before turning back to Anna. "That was my coworker and roommate, Kristoff. Please avoid encouraging his obsession with ponies."

Anna shrugged, not promising anything. "Why does he call you Winters?" she asked.

"I go by my last name at work," Elsa replied, gesturing to the patch on her jacket. "When I'm here, I prefer to be treated as one of the guys – I'm the only girl working here, after all. I'm not Elsa here, I'm not the Ice Queen, I'm not a spoiled rich girl, I'm just Winters. One of them. It makes it easier to work together if they think of me as just that."

"Ice Queen?" Elsa shook her head, and Anna dropped the subject. "Different question then: why? Most people aim straight for management. You _are_ different from these other guys, why do you act like you're not?"

"See, think about it like this: those guys that go straight to management, what do they know about the operations here? Nothing, that's what. They make promises to customers that those of us here in the warehouse might not be able to actually accomplish. Ask anyone in the warehouse what they think of the people in the office. They're nice people, mind you, but they're not particularly realistic."

"So," Anna said thoughtfully, "you're working here in the warehouse so that someday, when you are a bigwig or whatever, you'll be better than those who jump straight ahead?"

"You're quick, Anna," Elsa said with a smile. "People who jump straight into management after college have no idea how things work at the company's base. They don't know what it's like to be…" Elsa drifted off, staring out into the warehouse. Her gaze was fond as she looked towards each of their coworkers in turn.

"To be…?" Anna prompted, stepping slightly closer to Elsa.

"To be lowest on the totem pole."

* * *

_A/N: Finally, the title comes into play! It took me forever to figure out what to call this fic, but I'm pretty happy with what I chose. As a disclaimer, all thoughts and opinions in this fic belong to me alone, and I don't mean to offend any salespeople or managers or anything. I'm just commenting on what I see as a warehouse rat myself._

_Thanks to all my followers and reviewers as always! Much love to you all! _

_~Matt_


	8. Chapter 7

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 7

"Winters!"

Elsa and Anna both looked in the direction of the voice, Anna stepping to the side so that she was slightly behind Elsa. She found herself looking at a tall, wide, scruffy man with dark hair and dark eyes. His dark hair had just a touch of white starting to show through. He was dressed similarly to Elsa, but lacked the beanie and had an extra patch on his jacket that read "Supervisor."

"Hey boss," Elsa said. "I hope you don't mind, but I brought Anna here with me today. She's a high school senior and I'm mentoring her for the duration of the school year."

The man glared down at Anna disapprovingly, crossing his arms over his burly chest. "'S long as she stays inside th' yellow line an' you git all yer work done," he grumbled, looking towards Elsa. "If'n she gits hurt, tha's my neck on the line, y'know."

"I won't let her get hurt, I promise," Elsa said quickly. "She already knows that she has to stay behind the line, so…"

"Good," the man said. He uncrossed his arms and held a hand out towards Anna, a grin breaking out on his face. "I'm Marshall, but th' kids all call me Marshmallow," he said.

"What, 'cause you're a big ol' softie on the inside?" Anna joked, shaking the man's hand. "Nice to meet you, Marshmallow."

"Watch it, girl, or I may decide I like ye an' put ye to work," Marshall said, his grin widening. Anna thought his face might split open with how widely he was smiling. "Now Elsa, how 'bout you do a little showin' off 'n' pull this order here?" he added, looking at Elsa and handing her a sheet of paper.

Elsa read the paper, biting her bottom lip and nervously looking up at Marshall. "Are you sure, Marshmallow? I only just got trained on the forklift, and…" she trailed off, glancing over at one of the stationary forklifts.

"Ye'll be fine, Winters. Yer certified, an' tha' means the board an' I both trust yer abilities. Now go git that order down," Marshall said, clapping his hands together.

"Y-yessir!" Elsa turned to Anna and gestured towards the office chairs sitting empty by each desk. "Go ahead and sit, Anna, I've got to pull a pallet down from the racks right over there. If I die, Kristoff knows the location of my will and testament."

Anna rolled her eyes, picking the most comfortable looking chair and sitting in it. "You're so overdramatic, Winters," she said as she held back laughter. "You'll be fine, I'm sure."

Elsa gave Anna an appreciative smile before turning and walking towards the forklift. As she crossed the yellow line, she looked further down into the warehouse to make sure that there were no other forklifts running in the vicinity. She circled the forklift slowly, checking the tires and the cage for damage and opening the propane fuel line. She stopped next to the propane tank for a moment to make sure the fuel line wasn't leaking. When she finally climbed into the machine, she took a moment to buckle herself in and a few more moments to breathe. When she was ready, Elsa turned the key in the ignition and the forklift fired up.

Anna sat on the edge of her chair, or as close as she could without the wheels sliding out from under her. She watched as Elsa slowly backed the forklift up and aligned herself in front of one of the pallet racks. As she raised the forks, Anna wondered just how high they could go and how much fun it would be to stand atop them. Dangerous, sure, but isn't all fun kind of dangerous? Her mind changed as Elsa tilted the forks downward, and she realized just how easily she could be thrown off at that height. There's a thin line between dangerous-fun and just plain dangerous.

Before she knew it, Elsa had picked up a pallet from the top rack, backed the forklift up, and dropped the pallet down to ground level. Anna saw the older woman's shoulders heave in a mighty sigh of relief. She dropped the pallet just outside the yellow line and parked the forklift back where she had found it, holding onto the cage as she slid off the seat.

"Anna," Elsa said as she walked closer, "is that your phone ringing?"

"_Mother knows best, take it from your mumsy-"_

Anna jumped and scrambled to pull her phone out of the pocket of her jeans. "Mom?"

Anna looked up at Elsa, conflicted as she listened to what her mother said. "Seriously? Right now? I'm about ten minutes away, will she still… Yeah, I'll be right over. Oh, hey, wait a minute," Anna covered the receiver with her hand as she spoke to Elsa. "What time do you get lunch, or dinner I guess, 'cause I have to go right now, remember when I told you about those emergencies that come up? This is one of them, but mom and I could meet you for food if it's after seven."

"I can put off my break until eight," Elsa said. "If you need to go, go. Just… Is everything okay?"

Anna smiled, reaching out but stopping short of Elsa's shoulder. "Everything's great," she said softly. "These are good emergencies. I'll be back around eight to pick you up for dinner, okay?"

Elsa looked at Anna's hand and wanted so badly to reach out and grab it in her own, but she kept her hands firmly at her side. "Sounds great. Now get out of here so I can get to work, huh?"

"Okay, mom, I'm on my way right now. Yeah. Yeah. See you in a few. Love you too." Anna ended the call and stuffed her phone back in her pocket before looking back at Elsa. "I'm so, so sorry," she said. "I really didn't expect this to happen, it has the worst timing sometimes."

"Really, Anna, it's fine. I think I got my point across today anyway," Elsa said.

"Something something lowest on the totem pole," Anna joked, turning towards the door. "See you in a bit!"

Elsa watched Anna jog out of the warehouse, through the office and out the door to her car, heaving a heavy sigh as the redhead disappeared from view. Before turning back to her work, she looked at her right hand. Opening and closing her fist, she bit her bottom lip and wondered what it would be like to touch Anna, even just once. Banishing the thought from her mind, she looked up and caught Kristoff's eye.

The man, having seen Anna's departure, attempted a comforting smile. He must not have done a very good job, because Elsa's return smile was wavering and anything but comforted. Before she buried herself in her work, he could see the question in her eyes, a question that she had asked him countless times since they met.

_Why can't I just be normal?_

* * *

_A/N: I am a despicable human being! I was doing so well on a Tuesday/Thursday schedule until today. Unfortunately, I spent my weekend playing softball and didn't take my computer with me to finish the chapter up, so..._

_Anyway! This chapter is a bit short because as I was writing it, it just kept getting longer and longer so I split it into two. That means I'm almost done with Thursday's update! _

_As always, I love my readers and reviewers. Hope you liked the chapter, and I'll see you tomorrow!_

_~Matt_


	9. Chapter 8

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 8

At eight on the nose, Anna poked her head through the door to the warehouse. Not immediately seeing Elsa, she wandered in, cautiously eyeing the yellow line on the floor. She spotted Kristoff sitting at a desk and typing away on the computer in front of him.

"Hey Kristoffer," Anna said, watching in amusement as the man nearly leapt from his seat. "Where's E- er, Winters?"

"First of all, my name is Kristoff, and second Winters is changing back into casual clothes. She'll be out in a minute," Kristoff said.

"Have you had a lunch break yet? I have room for one more in my car if you want to come get food with us," Anna offered.

"We stagger breaks, so I already ate, but thanks for the offer. We should hang out sometime, though, maybe watch a couple episodes of MLP together."

"Absolutely! I'm not quite caught up on this season yet, so maybe you could help me out on that?"

Kristoff grinned and held his hand out for Anna to shake. When she did, he kept a tight grip on it. "It's a deal, Anna. I'll get your number from Winters and shoot you a text sometime."

"What's a deal?"

Anna looked up to see Elsa, back in her collared shirt and long skirt. She was wringing her hands together, clearly uncomfortable being in the warehouse dressed like that.

"Kristoff's gonna help me catch up on this season of MLP! Isn't he swell? Now let's get going before my mom dies of boredom in the car. Thanks, Kristoff, talk to you soon!"

Elsa aimed a pointed glare at Kristoff before turning to follow Anna out to the parking lot.

"What? It's a shared interest! Ponies are cool!"

* * *

Out at the car, Elsa found herself arguing with a woman she hadn't even met.

"No, really, I can sit in the backseat!"

"Nope, I'm already here. Rumor has it you're taller than me, so you need the leg room. Trust me, I'll be fine!"

Elsa opened her mouth to continue arguing, but was cut off by Anna, who had already sat herself in the driver's seat and started the car. "Elsa, stop arguing with my mom and get in the car before you get soaked! If it makes you feel better, I'll make her ride shotgun on the way back."

Elsa grumbled to herself as she sat in the passenger seat, finally closing the door and buckling herself in.

"Now let's try this again," Anna said impatiently. "Elsa, this is my mother, Teresa. Mom, this is Elsa Winters."

"It's nice to see you again, Elsa," Teresa said, reaching out to touch Elsa's shoulder. Her hand was batted away by Anna, who turned to quickly glare at her mother. "I'm glad to see you've been well since the last time we saw each other."

"Likewise," Elsa said, meeting Teresa's eyes in the rearview mirror. "From what I remember of that night eleven years ago, you haven't changed too much. I hope you've also been well."

"Well enough," Teresa confirmed.

"You okay with going back to Oaken's, Elsa?" Anna asked as she turned the car down the street that the sandwich shop was on.

"That actually sounds pretty fantastic," Elsa said, smiling. "Have you been there before, Teresa?"

"Not yet, but I've heard good things from Anna. It's hard to get her to stop raving about it, really," Teresa joked.

"That is an outright lie; I only mentioned it once in passing!" Anna wanted to shoot another glare at her mother, but forced herself to keep her focus on the road as she waited for a gap in traffic to turn left through. She squeezed through a gap that was smaller than she would have liked, causing Elsa to tense up and wring her hands together. Once parked, Anna let out a breath she hadn't realize she had been holding and turned off the car. "Sorry about that turn," she mumbled.

Elsa remained silent, slowly stepping out of the car. She found herself face to face with Teresa.

"Only by an inch or two, but I suppose you are taller than me," Teresa mused, grinning. "You ever play sports?"

"Mom, save it for when we're inside!" Anna grumbled, dragging Teresa towards the entrance to Oaken's. Elsa followed, smiling. Anna was so lucky to have a mother like Teresa.

"Yoo hoo! Hello Anna! Ooh, with _two_ pretty girlfriends this time! You're awfully popular, ya?"

Teresa nudged Anna with her elbow, grinning. "I like this guy already, Anna!"

Anna sighed, rolling her eyes. "Oaken, this is my mother, Teresa. Elsa's not my girlfriend either. Can we just get some sandwiches?"

"Oo, yes! Big sandwich blowout! Half off roast beef, ham, and a tuna salad of my own invention!"

After ordering their sandwiches and Teresa shooing the girls away as she paid the bill, Anna and Elsa sat at the same table they had a couple of days prior. Anna looked out the window, but the only thing she saw through the dark and rain were the street lights lining the road.

"Sorry about my mom," Anna mumbled, not looking Elsa in the eye. "She's a bit excitable sometimes. She's been itching to meet you since I mentioned it yesterday."

Elsa smiled and set her hand next to Anna's on the table. She wasn't ready to touch the girl, but the physical closeness calmed her. The action finally got Anna to look up and meet Elsa's eyes.

"Anna, you're fine. Your mom's fine. Thank you, by the way, for slapping her hand away. You should probably apologize for that. Anyway, she's nice and I like her. You're lucky to have a mom like her."

Anna finally relaxed in her chair, sitting back and sliding down into a slouch. "I am lucky; mom's great. Life's been hard on her lately, but she's still doing her best for me."

"So!" Teresa said, walking up to the table with three cups of hot chocolate. She set the mugs down and took the seat next to Anna, folding her hands together and leaning her chin on them. "Now that we're inside, I can grill you as much as I want. I've always wanted to play the overprotective mother role."

Elsa found her grin matched Teresa's as Anna hid her head in her arms, face burning from embarrassment.

"Sports, right?" Elsa asked. "I've never played. My mother said it was unladylike. She even kept me out of PE class. I was to never wear pants or shorts once past the age of ten."

"Interesting, the true overbearing mother type there, then. I assume your grades were good?"

"4.0 throughout high school and so far into my college career. I was chosen to be the valedictorian for my graduating class in high school."

"Impressive," Teresa mused. "Hobbies?"

"Drawing, painting, exploring old buildings. I'm a fan of architecture. One day I'd very much like to explore Rome."

Teresa nodded. "Pets?"

"None at the moment. My roommate is looking into getting a dog, but our landlord is fighting every step of the way. Not that I blame him, Kris wants a great dane."

Teresa tapped an index finger against her nose a few times before speaking again. "It seems to me that you and Anna have very little in common."

"We both like chocolate," Anna grumbled, still hiding her head. Elsa could see one of her ears, and it was almost as red as Anna's hair. She didn't blame Anna one bit for hiding.

"The two of us are very different people, yes," Elsa conceded. "But I think that's precisely why we get along."

"Last question, and really the most important: what are your intentions with my daughter?" Teresa asked, any hint of a smile gone from her face.

"Mom!" Anna's head shot up, her face a very nice shade of tomato red. Before she could berate Teresa for asking such a question, though, Elsa held a hand up to silence her. Anna groaned and let her head fall back onto the table, only this time she peeked out and watched Elsa as she answered the question.

"Currently, to mentor Anna and help her prepare for college," Elsa said calmly. "Beyond that, though," Elsa caught Anna's eye, smiling, "I'd like to be her friend. I have a lot of years to make up for, after all. You don't have to worry about anything untoward, Teresa; I only want the best for Anna."

Anna buried her face in her arms again, redder than Elsa had thought possible. Teresa attempted to keep a straight face, but failed after a few moments and burst out laughing. Elsa found herself laughing as well, though not as loudly as Teresa.

"Elsa," Teresa said after calming herself down, "I'm really glad Anna found you again. This is going to be good for her." She reached out and put her arm over Anna's shoulder, pulling the girl into her side. Anna didn't fight the movement, but grumbled and groaned and continued hiding her face.

"I think it's going to be good for me, too," Elsa said.

* * *

_A/N: Hello! I'm on time today! _

_Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, things will start picking up from here on out. At least I think so. Time skips are going to become slightly more dramatic now that we're past the initial meeting stage._

_I don't think I've said this yet, so: I don't own Frozen or any other Disney movie that appears in this fanfiction._

_See you all next week!_

_~Matt_


	10. Chapter 9

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 9

"Are you fucking kidding, Kris? You invited her over? Today? Look at this place, it's a mess!"

Kristoff was sitting on their couch, his feet resting on the coffee table in front of him. He looked around, noting that the apartment was, indeed, a mess, but he had a puppy in his lap so who cared? The puppy was practically spilling over his legs, still young but growing quickly.

"Chill out," Kris said, stroking the puppy's head. "She won't be over until noon. Sven Jr. and I will get the place cleaned up!"

"Kris, it's ten already," Elsa said, trying to keep herself calm. "If we have any prayer of making this place presentable, you need to put your dog on his bed and get your ass in the kitchen. I'll get the living and dining area if you do the dishes."

"Fine, fine…" Kristoff grumbled, sliding Sven off his lap and onto the dog bed that sat next to the couch. "Wait a minute, it's your turn to do the dishes! Nice fuckin' try!"

Elsa couldn't help but grin and laugh. She put a hand on Kristoff's shoulder and reached over him to grab two empty coffee mugs from the side table. "Ah, you got me," she said. "I'll do the dishes, I suppose. Just gather all the dirty ones up for me, would you?"

Kristoff stood and stretched, reaching over his head as he yawned. "Yeah," he said as he dropped his arms and slouched. "I'll get right on that. Is there more coffee?"

"No," Elsa replied from the kitchen. "But I'll put another pot on. We're gonna need it if this place is going to get clean in time."

Kristoff nodded, walking over to the stereo system he had set up in the corner. "Is today a Disney day?"

"Today's a Disney day!" Elsa confirmed. As Kristoff fiddled with the stereo, she began unloading the dishwasher, the clatter of dishes filling their comfortable silence.

"_-No chance, no way, I won't say it…"_

Kristoff danced away from the stereo system, singing along as he began gathering all of the dirty dishes. He and Elsa worked without conversation. They both sang along with the Disney playlist that Kristoff had created, though where Elsa quietly sang to herself, Kristoff belted the tunes for the entire complex to hear. It was a routine that their neighbors had gotten used to.

"Oh, I just can't waaait-" Kristoff sang, turning off the vacuum.

"He just can't waaaaiiit-" Elsa chimed in, walking out of the kitchen as she dried her hands with a dish towel.

""To be kiiiiiiing!"" They both finished the song at the top of their lungs. Kristoff grabbed Elsa's hand and pulled her into a spin, bowing at the end of it with a big grin on his face. Elsa laughed, covering her mouth with a hand and collapsing onto the couch. Kristoff followed shortly after, pulling Sven up onto his lap.

"You know he's going to expect to be a lapdog for life, right?" Elsa said as she reached for her cup of coffee.

"What's wrong with that? I bet he's excited to be big enough to lay across both our laps! Ooh, maybe when Anna visits he'll just lay across all three of us!" Kristoff handed Elsa her cup and grabbed his own. As his left hand dropped back onto the couch, it brushed Elsa's side and hip. It had only been a light touch, and he pulled his hand away quickly, but by the way Elsa had stiffened at the touch, he knew the damage was done.

"Fuck, I'm sorry Elsa," Kristoff said quickly, but he knew it was no use. Her eyes were unfocused, staring straight ahead and her hands were shaking. Had her coffee cup been any more than half full, it would have spilled all over. He jumped to his feet and turned the music off before turning back to Elsa and gently prying the coffee mug out of her hands.

"N-no," Elsa whimpered, bringing her now free hands to her face. "Stop, p-please stop. N-no more!"

Kristoff knelt in front of Elsa and placed his hands gently on her knees. He looked up into her eyes, knowing that they weren't seeing him at all. "Elsa, Elsa it's okay. You're okay. You're safe here, remember?"

"N-no, I'm n-never going to be s-safe! He'll find me and – and – and – he'll-" Elsa choked back a sob, her breathing growing steadily more shallow. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, burying her face in her pajama pants.

Kristoff let go of Elsa's knees when she moved them, and instead sat next to Elsa and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're okay here, Elsa. Elsa, please…"

"Don't touch me!" Elsa snapped, slapping Kristoff's hand away. "You don't know anything! I'm n- I'm not okay, I'll n-never be okay!"

Kristoff, though he knew that she didn't mean to be cruel to him, couldn't help but feel hurt at the way she slapped his hand away and refused his help. That was all he wanted, after all, to help her. All he could do was to try his best and hope he could do something.

"You _will_ be okay," Kristoff said desperately. "I'm going to help you be okay. I'll always be here to help you, Elsa. What do you need?"

"I n-need – I need –" Elsa buried her face further into her knees. "I need Anna," she finally squeaked. "I need to see Anna's smile."

"How will…?" Kristoff was confused. After all he had tried to do to help, how would Anna do any better?

"T-that was the o-only thing t-that g-got me t-through it," Elsa said softly. "L-looking out m-my window and – and seeing Anna's smile. S-she was a-always smiling."

Kristoff clasped his hands together and looked at the clock. There was still half an hour before Anna was supposed to arrive. "Look, Elsa. Anna won't be here for a while. We've gotta get through this before she shows up, okay? You still need to get cleaned up, unless you want Anna to see you in your pajamas."

"I- I can't! I don't know how!"

_Tap tap tap-tap tap_

Kristoff and Elsa both looked up quickly, as though they could see who was on the other side of the door. When Kristoff looked back towards Elsa he could see a hint of a smile on her lips. "It's Anna," she whispered. He barely heard her over Sven, who had bounded over to the door and begun yapping wildly.

"Should I answer it? Are you okay? Do you want to go hide in your room for a little while?"

"Please open it," Elsa said, pushing at Kristoff's shoulder. "I need to see her."

Kristoff picked Sven up by wrapping his arm under the dog's forelegs before unlocking and opening the door.

"Hey Anna, sorry we're not quite presentable yet," Kristoff said, gesturing to his pajamas.

"It's all good, I'm really early, sorry about that," Anna said as she reached forward to pet Sven's face. "Is this your new puppy? He's so cuuuute! Can I – holy shit, Elsa! Are you okay?"

* * *

_A/N:_ _Hey everyone! Happy Tuesday! Sorry this chapter's so short, I just wanted you to get a good view of Elsa and Kristoff's relationship. Kristelsa Brotp for life!_

_Thanks as always to all of you readers and reviewers out there! I love each and every one of you! Special thanks to **Captain Autora **and **Ninja Elizabeth** for being my faithful constant reviewers! _

_We'll be learning more about Anna next chapter! See you Thursday!_

_~Matt_


	11. Chapter 10

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 10

"Holy shit, Elsa! Are you okay?" Anna pushed past Kristoff and darted over to Elsa, practically leaping onto the couch. "Are you hurt? What's going on? Did Kristoff do something, cause I'll kick his ass for you if he did!"

"Hey!" Kristoff shouted indignantly as he closed the door.

Elsa smiled and sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her wrist. "I'm fine now, Anna. I just had a… A moment. I'm okay, though. I do need to go change into something more appropriate, if you don't mind."

Anna looked down, noticing Elsa's pajamas for the first time. They were a light blue set, short sleeved button-up shirt and capris. The fabric was thin and light, white snowflakes dancing down from Elsa's shoulders. Anna's face turned red as she realized she was staring.

"Oh! Uh, yeah," Anna said quickly, looking at the ceiling and leaning away from Elsa. "You go and do that; I'll beat Kristoff up just for good measure."

"Don't do that, Anna," Elsa said as she stood up. She felt herself start to laugh – a good feeling after what she had just gone through. "Kristoff's been nothing but good to me. This was nobody's fault." It was a lie, but not really. It was _someone's_ fault; it was _his_ fault, but Elsa wasn't ready for Anna to know that yet. "You should definitely meet Sven Jr., though."

Anna watched as Elsa walked away. The woman's stride showed no signs of the ordeal she had just been through – strong, purposeful steps carried her quickly down the hallway. Anna sighed, leaning back and settling herself in the couch cushions.

"I came at a bad time, didn't I?" Anna asked, looking up at Kristoff.

Kristoff shook his head. "You came just when we needed you to. You snapped her out of it, thank goodness. Her moments can sometimes last all day." He sat down next to Anna on the couch, placing a squirming Sven into her lap. "This is Sven Jr., just came home with me yesterday!"

"Oh look at him! He's so cute with those giant paws and his big head and his eyes and omigodthoseadorablelittlespotsalloverhisbackthey'realmostlikefreckles!" Anna squealed, pulling the squirming puppy into a tight hug. "Why is he Sven Jr.?" she asked, letting the puppy out of the death grip and petting his face.

"I grew up with a Dane named Sven," Kristoff said. "This little guy is from the same bloodline. Not the same parents, of course, Danes don't live for all that long. It took me a while to get past Sven's death, but I couldn't live without a dog for too long. Man's best friend and all that!"

Anna grinned, nuzzling the puppy and letting him lick her face. She scratched his ribs roughly and laughed as one of his back legs started kicking Kristoff. "He's just plain old adorable!"

"So, Anna, I gotta ask," Kristoff said, pausing to choose his words wisely. "Are you… you know… Are you a – a lesbian?" As soon as he said it, Kristoff fought the urge to face-palm because of the sheer stupidity of how he had chosen to ask.

"What gave you that idea?" Anna asked, as if it were a perfectly ordinary question. She didn't even look up from the little game she was playing with Sven.

"Well, you know… Your clothes, mostly. You're either hipster or lesbian, and I don't know which is worse!" Kristoff attempted to make a joke to climb out of the hole he had dug for himself. He had a point – at least, he thought so. Anna was wearing a blue and green plaid long-sleeved shirt unbuttoned over a T-shirt, and he could swear he saw boxers poking out above her baggy, straight-cut jeans. He was really hoping his diversion worked and heaved a relieved sigh when Anna laughed.

"My cousin and I were just talking about that a couple weeks ago," Anna said. "I don't think I'm a lesbian, but I don't really know. I've never been too interested in that kind of stuff, boys or girls. But I'm not going to do anything to Elsa, if that's what you're worried about. Unless she wants to, then maybe, I dunno. I'm just not ready to think about that yet."

Kristoff reached over and ruffled Anna's hair, grinning. "You're all right, kid. So I guess that means hipster?"

Anna shook her head, lifting Sven's forepaws into the air. "It means I kidnapped my mom's clothes, mostly. We're the same size and she's in a hospital of sorts, so she doesn't really need them."

"Teresa's in the hospital?"

Anna jumped at the sound of Elsa's voice and turned to see her walking down the hall towards them. She wore dark green sweatpants and a heavy black T-shirt and was in the process of braiding her hair. She looked concerned as she walked towards the couch.

"No, my other mom's in the hospital," Anna said.

"Oh, your parents divorced?" Kristoff asked.

Anna shook her head, looking confused. "No, my parents are still together."

"Your other mom's not a step-mom?" Elsa asked as she sat on the couch beside Anna. She reached over and scratched Sven's head, enjoying how close she was to Anna.

"No, I just have two moms. No dad." At her friends' bewildered faces, Anna quickly added: "Well, of course I have a dad, somewhere, unless I'm Jesus and I didn't know it. But even Jesus had a dad, I suppose. Anyway, my moms adopted me when I was a baby. Never knew my birth parents."

"So… Are your moms married?" Kristoff asked. "I know it wasn't legal until a few years back, but have they gotten married since?"

"Ah," Anna paused, gathering herself. "Uhm, no, and they probably won't be. My mom's condition makes that, uh, difficult. Not that they don't want to be, they're madly in love and completely devoted to each other. It's kind of sickening to watch sometimes, you know? They act like newlyweds still!"

Kristoff opened his mouth to ask another question, but Elsa held up a hand to stop him. "Why don't you guys get started on your little pony marathon thing." It was more of a demand than a suggestion. "I'm going to pour myself another cup of coffee, do either of you want any?"

Anna and Kristoff both made noises of affirmation, and Anna shot Elsa a grateful look as she settled back into the couch. Elsa smiled back quickly before disappearing into the kitchen. Kristoff sat on the edge of the couch cushion and fiddled with the computer that was on the coffee table. After making sure all of the proper cables were plugged in, he picked up the remote and switched on the television. Kristoff fiddled with those controls for a moment before the computer screen was mirrored on the larger television.

"Which episode did you leave off on?" Kristoff asked, scrolling through the files on the computer. Anna told him and watched on the big screen as he found the appropriate file and opened it. The two of them settled back into the couch, soon joined by a begrudging Elsa. Squeezed between the two college students and Sven, Anna sipped at her coffee and couldn't help but be content.

* * *

"That… That was really gay," Elsa said finally, after several moments of silence. They had just finished the season finale (for which Elsa was eternally grateful), and Elsa was trying her hardest to process what she had just watched for the past couple of hours.

"Elsa, you can't just use gay as a synonym for stupid!" Kristoff hissed. "That's rude!"

"I don't mean it was stupid," Elsa argued. "Though it was. But that's not my point. They were singing about rainbow power, how is that _not_ the gayest thing you've ever seen?"

"She has a point," Anna said, looking up at Kristoff. "That song was pretty gay. You don't have to be all politically correct around me just 'cause I have two moms. I can take a good gay joke as well as anyone!"

"Good," Elsa said lightly, grinning. "Then I meant gay as in gay _and_ stupid." Anna could tell she was joking, and instead of hitting her on the shoulder like she would her other friends, she shoved an excited Sven into Elsa's lap.

"You get'er, Sven! Tell Elsa that she's being a meanie and a party pooper just 'cause she won't admit ponies are cool!" Anna caught Elsa's eye and laughed.

"Yeah," Kristoff said, dropping his voice to speak for Sven. "Elsa, even a meanie like you could admit that Rarity is best pony!"

"Uh, excuse you?" Anna said, feigning offense as she turned to Kristoff. "Did you mispronounce Rainbow Dash?"

Kristoff shrugged, grinning. "Wasn't me, it was Sven. Talk to him about his inability to pronounce Applejack."

"Are you guys really arguing about the best character in a show designed for little girls?" Elsa asked, shifting so that Sven could sit more comfortably in her lap.

"And their parents!" Kristoff added. "It was designed to entertain people of all ages!"

"And really," Anna said, grinning slyly, "you should be glad we didn't subject you to a full marathon. We really ought to do that one weekend, though, just watch beginning to end. Ooh! Speaking of thankful, what're you guys doing for Thanksgiving? Do you go home for the holiday?"

Kristoff and Elsa looked at each other for a moment before responding. "No," Kristoff said. "We usually stay in. This's the only home I've got."

"I haven't been home since I moved here," Elsa added. "We might get some turkey lunchmeat and make some sandwiches or something."

Anna's jaw dropped. People could be so nonchalant about a holiday as fantastic as Thanksgiving? _Make sandwiches or something?_ How could someone pass up an opportunity to stuff themselves with delicious food and spend time with loved ones? Anna paused in her thinking. What if they didn't have loved ones? _This's the only home I've got._

"Do you guys want to come to my place for Thanksgiving?" Anna asked without thinking. "Mom's been saying the house is too quiet without Mom around, well, you know, my other mom, so I don't think she'd be opposed to a couple extra seats at the table, and she always makes waaaaayyyy too much food anyway and it's so delicious, it's way better than turkey sandwiches, so you guys should definitely come over and ohgodIneedtobreatheI'mdying-"

"Jesus, Anna, okay!" Kristoff choked out between peals of laughter. "I'll come over for Thanksgiving, just take a breath every once in a while, huh?"

Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff spent the rest of the afternoon talking and laughing, both at and with each other. At some point, Anna ended up rolling on the floor and just never got back up on the couch because: "Your carpet's so soooffft, I could lay here forever!" So that's just what she did. She watched Elsa and Kristoff from the floor, getting the feeling that maybe, for once, her family was actually growing.

* * *

_A/N: Happy Thursday to all! By the way, I've officially completed 23 revolutions around the sun! Thanks again to all my lovely readers and reviewers! Today we got to learn a little more about Anna. And just for context, this is set in some fictional town somewhere in the United States. Other than that, no specifics for location will be necessary. I hope. Don't hold me to that._

_lightning1997 - Since I couldn't respond to you by PM: Thanks for reading and reviewing, hopefully this chapter was all you hoped and more!_

_See you all next week!_

_~Matt_


	12. Chapter 11

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 11

Teresa hummed as she moved about the kitchen, stirring a pot here, checking the status of a dish there. Her hair was tied in a braid and further wrapped up in a bun to make sure it stayed out of her face as she cooked. She was happier than she had been in a while, knowing that there would be extra faces at their Thanksgiving dinner. Things hadn't been the same since Claire…

Teresa was jerked out of her thoughts by the sound of her doorbell ringing. She wiped her hands on her apron and checked everything one last time before making her way to the door. "Anna?" she called as she walked through the house. "Anna, are you inside?" When there was no response, Teresa shrugged and opened the door.

"Hello Teresa," Elsa said, smiling. She was wearing a light blue turtleneck sweater and a long black skirt, with her hair braided as usual and drawn over her left shoulder. In her arms were two bottles of red wine.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Summers!" Kristoff said. He was bundled up against the cold, in thick blue jeans and a heavy grey jacket with the hood pulled up. In his arms was Sven, who was excitedly wriggling and yipping at Teresa.

"Oh please," Teresa said, laughing. She ushered them inside, taking the bottles of wine from Elsa and thanking her. "Call me Teresa. My last name isn't _really _Summers anyway. And you can let your dog roam free, Anna's cat stays in her room and won't bother him."

"This place is nice," Kristoff said as he set Sven down. "It's warm and homey." Sven ran off into the living room, sniffing the scattered blankets by the fireplace and then the worn-down couch. He rolled around on the area rug under the coffee table for a moment, no doubt finding crumbs to lick up. From there he ran to the kitchen, cleaning up any mess Teresa had made on the laminate floor while cooking.

"It's not much, but Anna and I have made it our home. Speaking of Anna, I'm not quite sure where she is. Might be in the garage, but I told her not to play around with her car today. Sometimes she doesn't listen. You can check, though, it's just through that door there," Teresa pointed down the hall towards the back of the house. "I have to stay in here and make sure nothing burns."

Kristoff called Sven to him (a trick they had been working on from the beginning) and tromped down the hallway, Elsa following close behind. On the walls were pictures of Anna throughout her school years, and Elsa couldn't help but giggle at the pictures of Anna with braces. At the end of the hall was a picture of who Elsa assumed to be baby Anna, a much younger Teresa, and a girl with big blue eyes and platinum blonde hair. Elsa stopped for a moment, grabbing Kristoff's jacket to get his attention.

"That must be her other mom," Elsa said softly, nodding towards the picture.

"Wow, they're both gorgeous," Kristoff said as he took a closer look. "Anna was a pretty cute baby, too."

"They look so happy," Elsa murmured. "I wonder… No, it's not my place. Let's find Anna." Elsa let go of Kristoff's jacket and reached past him to open the door into the garage. Inside was a mess of tools, boxes, and machinery, with Anna's station wagon parked in the middle of it. Just as Elsa spotted a pair of shoes sticking out from under the car, Sven took off and squeezed under the car to greet whoever it was.

Sven was rewarded with a shriek that reverberated throughout the garage, causing Elsa and Kristoff to cover their ears. The feet started kicking and moments later a terrified Anna came crawling out, swearing like a sailor and spitting something out of her mouth. Kristoff tried his hardest not to laugh when he realized that her face was covered in oil.

"What the fuck, seriously? Mom, you know I can't be bothered when I'm working on the God damn car! What even... Wait... Sven? Ah, fuck, what time is it?"

"It's a quarter after two," Elsa said, her eyebrows raised.

Anna finally looked up, in the middle of wiping her tongue on a less-than-clean rag, and seemed to shrink into the garage floor. "Oh. Hi guys," she said. "Sorry about that, I was going to change the oil when Sven surprised me, and I ended up with motor oil in my face. Now instead of being only kind of gross, I'm really gross and in desperate need of a shower and a toothbrush."

"Better hurry it up, dinner will be ready soon."

Elsa, Kristoff, and Anna all looked up in surprise at Teresa's voice. Anna shrunk even further into the floor, which Elsa hadn't thought possible.

"And don't you dare bring those clothes inside," Teresa added, eyeing the now grease-covered clothes that Anna wore. Anna knew she was going to get it once her friends went home.

"Yeah, yeah," Anna said, finally standing up and stretching. She glanced longingly at the car, knowing she wouldn't be able to get back to her until the next day. Sighing, she kicked off her shoes and pulled her shirt off, leaving her in a black tank top. When she started unbuttoning her pants, she heard Kristoff choke and looked up, amused.

"What?" Anna asked. "Never seen a girl undress before? Don't worry, I got shorts on, you'll remain pure." It was true, pulling her pants down revealed green basketball shorts underneath. She sighed as she tossed the pants aside; those had been one of her favorite pairs.

"Ha ha, real funny," Kristoff grumbled, turning around and walking back into the house. Sven followed at this heels excitedly.

Elsa followed Anna into the house, pausing again to look a the family photo on the wall. Anna didn't notice, and opened a different door further down the hall. "This's my room," Anna said, gesturing for Elsa to follow her in. "I really need a shower now, you can hang in here if you want."

"A.A. Summers?"

Anna jumped at Elsa's voice and turned, eyes widening at what she saw. She had forgotten to put her easel away after working on it the previous day, and Elsa was running a finger along the edge of it.

"A Snowman in Summer? Is this a kid's book or something?" Elsa turned her head to catch Anna's eye, and Anna was relieved to see nothing but pure curiosity.

"Uh, y-yeah. I'm entering a competition later in the school year. I'm not all that great of an artist, but I wanted to get this out there."

"Snowmen in summer isn't particularly realistic," Elsa mused, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Oh, yeah," Anna rolled her eyes dramatically, "because rainbow fish, Paul Bunyan, and Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett are all so realistic."

Elsa started it, but both girls quickly began cracking up. Anna had to grip her dresser to keep herself on her feet, and Elsa sat herself on the bed as she laughed. Kristoff and Teresa heard them from the kitchen and rolled their eyes.

"Go ahead and read it," Anna said after recovering. Her side still hurt a little from laughing so hard, but she powered through it. "I'm gonna take a quick shower, shouldn't be more than a few minutes."

Elsa smiled and nodded, flipping to the first page as Anna disappeared from the room. She was vaguely aware of the sound of a shower, but was lost in the pages of Anna's book. Anna had told the truth, she wasn't particularly artistic, but that resulted in an adorable, slightly-lopsided snowman. It was somewhat reminiscent of the snowman Anna had once built with Elsa, though Elsa couldn't be sure if she was remembering correctly or not. It was a cute story, though, and Elsa was relatively sure it would hold up well in a competition.

"Mmm, dinner smells so gooooood!" Anna whined as she walked back into the room, wearing green sweatpants, a black turtleneck and a towel around her hair. She flopped face first onto the bed and hugged her pillow. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and met Elsa's gaze. The older woman sat on the foot of the bed, carefully avoiding Anna's legs and feet.

"What does the second A stand for?" Elsa asked, gesturing to the easel.

"Aren. I'm Anna Aren Summers! My mom, er, my other mom, you know, her family came from Arendal, Norway. I mean, like, not her but her grandparents. So she decided to make my middle name a shout-out or something. Not that I don't like it, cause I do. A. A. Summers makes me sound smart or important or something!"

"Arendal, huh?" Elsa mused. "I like it too, it's cute. Your mother seems like a wonderful person, it's a shame I can't meet her as well."

"M-maybe sometime," Anna said, sitting up to look at Elsa. "H-her condition keeps me from visiting a lot, but m-maybe next time, if you're free, w-would you like to come with?"

Elsa wouldn't have been able to tear her gaze away from Anna's face even if she had wanted to. The girl was bright red, hope gleaming in her eyes as she looked up at Elsa expectantly. The walls were down again, and Elsa knew that she had to do something to keep them from coming back stronger than ever.

"I'd like that," Elsa said finally, reaching up to tug Anna's towel over her face. She was very careful not to touch the girl herself, but something like that should be fine, right? She felt a familiar clench in her stomach, but fought it back as she stood up from the bed. "Now dry that hair, and let's go help Teresa and Kristoff get dinner ready."

Anna pulled the towel back away from her face and grinned. "Sure thing, boss!"

* * *

_A/N: Surprise! I thought I'd update today in celebration of my productive weekend! I bought myself a lovely Chromebook for my birthday, and I took it with me to a softball tourney over the weekend. I was able to write two and a half chapters! Go me!_

_Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one! Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett was one of my favorite books as a kid, by the way. So much fun. Thanksgiving dinner is next, see you Tuesday!_

_Much love to you all!_

_~Matt_


	13. Chapter 12

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 12

Once her hair was sufficiently dried and tied into two sloppy braids, Anna led Elsa back towards the kitchen, where she could hear Kristoff and Teresa talking and laughing. There was a third voice as well, one that had Anna excitedly bouncing down the hallway.

"Rapunzel!" Anna said as she turned into the kitchen. Without any hesitation, she wrapped her cousin up in a hug that lifted the other girl off her feet. "Good to see you! I'm surprised your mother let you come!"

Rapunzel laughed, wrapping her arms around Anna's neck. "Mother trusts you and Teresa at least," Rapunzel said. "Though I didn't tell her you had any other guests. That would've freaked her out! Kristoff sure is nice, though, and so's Sven!"

"Aren't they?" Anna let Rapunzel down and turned the girl to face Elsa. "This is Elsa, my college mentor!"

"Ah, the infamous Elsa, we finally meet! I've heard a lot about you!" Rapunzel said, holding her hand out for Elsa to shake. When Elsa didn't reciprocate, Rapunzel let it drop and didn't say anything about it.

"I've heard a fair bit about you as well, Rapunzel," Elsa said politely. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

Anna, Elsa, and Rapunzel all took to the task of setting the table, pulling plates and cups out of the cabinets and silverware from a drawer. They tried their best to stay out of Teresa's and Kristoff's way, but the kitchen was just too small for the lot of them to comfortably work. Bit by bit, the table filled with dishes of food, the last one being the turkey that Kristoff had carved. He had done a sloppy job, not having done so before, but Anna didn't complain. Bones with meat left on them made for better soup stock anyway.

"We're not really the grace-saying type," Teresa said as she sat down at the head of the table. Anna sat across from Elsa and next to Rapunzel, who was straight across from Kristoff. "But if any of you are religious, go ahead and lead us."

Elsa looked at Kristoff and the two of them shook their heads before looking to Rapunzel. "Not me," she said quickly. "I say we just dig in, I don't think I can hold back much longer."

"And really, if we're thanking anyone it should be mom," Anna said. "So, thanks mom, now let's eat!"

"Amen!" Kristoff added, laughing. Each person at the table grabbed a serving dish and filled their plates before passing the dishes around the table. It didn't take long for plates to be overflowing and people to start eating, stuffing their face (in the case of Anna and Kristoff) or politely eating (in the case of Elsa). Teresa watched her daughter for a moment, sighing at her lack of manners. She had tried to teach Anna how to be polite, but Claire's influence had been too strong in that area. She settled for pouring glasses of wine for herself, Elsa, and Kristoff.

"So will you be going next door after this, Elsa?" Teresa asked as she put more turkey on her plate.

"Ah, no," Elsa said slowly, setting her fork down. "I've been... Cordially uninvited from any and all family functions for the foreseeable future."

Teresa thought for a moment, taking a bite of bread and a sip of wine before speaking again. "Well, go ahead and consider yourself cordially invited to any and all family functions here for the foreseeable future. You as well, Kristoff."

Kristoff, Elsa, and Anna all gaped at Teresa in surprise. Anna moved her mouth soundlessly, trying to gain control over her vocal chords again. Kristoff was the first to speak.

"Really? You're serious? Christmas and everything?" Kristoff asked, disbelief dripping from his voice.

"Christmas and everything," Teresa confirmed. "This house is far too quiet with just Anna and myself. If you two have no place better to be, you're welcome to be here. You too, Rapunzel, but you know that already."

"Well," Kristoff said, picking his fork back up, "if the food's going to be like this, I wouldn't miss it for the world! This's way better than turkey sandwiches!"

Anna caught Elsa's eye and smiled. "Welcome to the family," she said softly before stuffing her face with mashed potatoes.

The rest of dinner passed uneventfully - Anna and Kristoff continued eating for far longer than anyone else at the table. Elsa found herself wondering where Anna put it all. Kristoff was a big guy, so he could eat a lot, but Anna was keeping up with him bite for bite. Did she have a hollow leg?

After dinner found Anna and Kristoff in the kitchen doing dishes, purposely singing Disney songs off-key while Rapunzel leaned on the doorway and laughed. Elsa wandered slowly back down the hall, looking at all of the pictures of Anna. When she stopped at the last picture, she found herself studying the mystery woman's features.

"That's my favorite, too."

Elsa jumped and looked to the side, seeing Teresa smiling at her. After a few shaky breaths, Elsa managed to shyly smile back.

"Claire and I were 25 when we adopted Anna," Teresa said, moving to stand next to Elsa. "We met a woman who was pregnant but didn't want to keep the baby, so we did all the paperwork and paid the hospital bills and brought the kid home with us when it was time. Neither of us expected Claire to get sick when she did."

"She's beautiful," Elsa said. "You're both beautiful. Her name is Claire?"

"Yeah, Claire Summers. Met her the first day of my freshman year in college. We were going to get married once it was legal, but her illness has put that on hold."

"Anna said Claire's family was from Norway," Elsa said softly. "I imagine I must have Norwegian blood as well, to look so much like her."

"You do," Teresa said simply. She saw the look on Elsa's face and laughed. "But don't worry, you're not Claire's child or anything. She's never had a chance of getting pregnant."

"Then... How do you know?" Elsa said. "Did you know my father?"

"I know your father, yes. I assume your mother doesn't talk about him? Would you like me to tell you?"

"I would like to know," Elsa said. Her voice was barely above a whisper and she was wringing her hands together.

"Your father's a good man. He was forced away from your mother before you were born. It wasn't that he didn't want to be a father to you, he just didn't have a choice. He would have been my brother-in-law, but I still consider him to be so."

"So he's..." Elsa trailed off, making the connection.

"He's Claire's younger brother. Practically a carbon copy of her, which is why you look so much like her. He's been very excited to hear that you and Anna are becoming friends again."

"You still talk to him?" Elsa asked, surprised. Teresa thought she detected a bit of hopefulness in her voice as well.

"I do. He and I visit Claire regularly. If you'd like, I could give you his contact information. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you."

Elsa hesitated, looking back up at the picture on the wall. "No," she said finally. "He probably wouldn't. I don't want to disappoint him."

"Elsa," Teresa said, reaching out and gently touching the young woman's shoulder. The storm in Elsa's stomach started raging again, and she felt she might lose her lunch, but she fought it back. Swallowing heavily, she placed her own hand on top of Teresa's. She felt sick.

"Your father will be so proud of you. I know things weren't easy on you as a child, but you've become a strong, successful young woman. You're anything but a disappointment." She drew her hand back and turned just as Anna tromped around the corner.

"Dishes are clean, can we eat pie now?" Anna asked excitedly. "Ooh, are you looking at the family picture? Aren't my moms so pretty? It's too bad I didn't get any of their genetics, I don't think I'll ever be as pretty as either of them. Did I tell you-"

"Anna," Teresa interrupted. Elsa was surprised at the stern tone of voice that she used. "Did you miss your phone alarm?"

Anna's eyes widened and she looked back towards the kitchen. "Shit! Shit shit shit! I'll be back in a few minutes! Sorry, Els!" She darted past Elsa and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

The surprise had mostly quelled the storm, but Elsa still felt slightly queasy. Teresa must have noticed, because she suggested they sit down and wait for Anna in the living room. As she followed Teresa out of the hall, Elsa had one more question to ask.

"So... This means Anna and I are..."

"Not related legally or by blood," Teresa replied. "Had your father been allowed to stay, you would legally be cousins, but unrelated by blood."

"And that would make Rapunzel my cousin as well?"

"Cousin-in-law, I suppose. Rapunzel is my late brother's daughter. But really, titles don't matter. I'd like you to be able to consider us all family regardless."

Elsa smiled, catching a glimpse of Kristoff and Rapunzel flicking water at each other in the kitchen. She sat down at the end of the couch, Teresa sitting on the other end. When Anna came back out a couple of minutes later, looking much more calm, Elsa gestured for her to sit between them.

"I think I'd like that," Elsa said softly. "I think I'd like that very much."

* * *

_A/N: And the curveball has been thrown! The family is growing, bit by bit, and Elsa's doing her best to try and open up to them. Hope you enjoyed it, and as always: review! I love hearing from you, and I want to know what you think! Even if it's criticism, I want to hear it so I can make this even better!  
_

_Much love,_

_~Matt_


	14. Chapter 13

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 13

"Honey, I'm ho~ome!"

Kristoff looked up from his seat on the couch to see Anna walking in through the front door and Elsa trailing behind her. He kicked his feet down from the coffee table and stood up to greet them. Sven bolted from his place on the couch to jump around Anna's feet and yip happily.

"Welcome home, dear," he said with a high-pitched voice. "Would you like dinner first? A bath? Or," he started lifting his shirt, "me?"

"Oh my God, Kristoff," Elsa said, rubbing her temples.

"Aw, you ruined the moment!" Anna whined. "But seriously, keep your shirt on, Kristoff, I don't want to be blinded by light reflecting off your stomach." She reached down to pet Sven's head, grinning.

Kristoff rolled his eyes, letting go of his shirt so that it would cover his stomach again. He wrapped Anna up in a hug and smiled at Elsa. "Good to see you, Anna, what brings you here today?"

"It was raining again," Anna said into Kristoff's shoulder. "Since you and Elsa didn't have to work today, I dropped by the college to give Elsa a ride home. She seems to make a habit of wearing white on rainy days."

"I have an umbrella, it would have been fine," Elsa grumbled, her face turning red. "She and Rapunzel are meeting up for dinner and they've both invited us to tag along. You're not busy, are you?"

Kristoff let go of Anna and gestured to the television, which was playing some reality show. "Do I look busy? I'd give anything for a distraction from crappy evening TV."

"Awesome, I'll let Rapunzel know! Mind if I hang out here until it's time to meet up?" Anna was practically bouncing with excitement.

Kristoff sat himself back down on the couch and pat the seat next to him, a gesture which Anna quickly took advantage of. She all but jumped onto the couch, snuggling herself deeper and deeper into the cushions until Elsa wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to get out again. Anna shuffled once more, pulling her phone out of her pants pocket, and started typing a message to Rapunzel. She and Kristoff both kicked their feet up to rest on the coffee table.

"I'm going to make hot chocolate, do you guys want any?" Elsa offered, setting her bag on a dining chair.

"About a gallon of it, please!" Anna squeaked from her place on the couch.

"One for me, too, thanks!" Kristoff added. He began flipping through the channels, hoping to find anything semi-decent to watch. He had almost lost hope when Anna stopped him. Just coming back from commercial were reruns of Xena: Warrior Princess.

"Xena and Gabrielle are so lesbian for each other," Anna said as if that explained everything. Kristoff shrugged and settled back into the couch, trying to keep himself from laughing at the terrible special effects.

Elsa came back to the living room with two normal-sized mugs in one hand, one of which she handed to Kristoff, and one giant mug in the other, easily three times the size of the others. That one she held out towards Anna. "It's not a gallon, but it's the biggest mug I've got. I actually think it's supposed to be a soup bowl, but it works."

"Holy shiiiit," Anna breathed, taking the mug from Elsa's hand. "Can we just... Will you... Let's just get married. I've found the perfect wife."

"Hardly," Elsa said, laughing. She sat next to Anna and sipped at her own hot chocolate.

"Laughs at my jokes, makes me gigantic mugs of hot chocolate, and even my mom likes her? What else does a girl need?" Anna asked jokingly. "Comes with a pretty great best friend-in-law too!"

"Well hell, what're you guys waiting for?" Kristoff said. "I'll get my license and officiate the wedding!"

Elsa rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hold back the grin that crept across her face. "When you put it that way, how can I say no? Now come on, where's my ring?"

* * *

Kristoff groaned as he crawled out of the backseat of Anna's car. Anna shakily smiled at him as she stepped out of the passenger seat. Elsa climbed out of the driver's side, hands shaking and a faraway look in her eyes.

"Was that really the best time to teach Elsa how to drive a stick shift? Most people start in a parking lot!"

"We started in a parking lot!" Anna argued. "And the best way to learn is through experience! She's already getting better!"

"My life flashed before my eyes no less than five times in a ten minute drive," Kristoff said, frowning.

"She did fiiine!" Anna said. "You did great, Elsa! Way better than my first drive," she added, turning to the older woman. "You'll be a pro in no time!"

"I never thought driving a stick would be so much work!" Elsa said, her gaze finally focusing on Anna. Her hands were still shaking. "There's so much to think about!"

Anna shrugged, reaching out as if to pat Elsa's shoulder. "It becomes second nature at some point. I hardly think about it anymore. You'll figure it out in time; you're already doing great."

"Thanks, Anna." Elsa reached out to touch Anna's side, but pulled back and stuffed her hand in her pocket. Her stomach clenched and she fought the urge to empty it.

"You guys gonna come in or what?" Kristoff said, already at the door to the restaurant. Elsa and Anna both jumped, realizing they were standing out in the rain, and hurried to follow Kristoff inside.

Rapunzel was already seated at a table and waved to them as they walked inside. Forgoing the hostess, the three hurried over to Rapunzel and sat down, Anna once again seated next to her cousin.

"I went ahead and ordered a pizza already," Rapunzel said. "They take a while to cook, and I'm starving. Hope you two don't mind a meatlover's."

"You mean a heart attack on bread? Vegetables are for girls," Kristoff joked.

"Cooked vegetables have never appealed to me, so that should work just fine," Elsa said, smiling at Rapunzel. "Hopefully it'll be enough to feed these two, though, you saw how they ate at Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, I'm almost sick just thinking about it. I swear Anna's got a hollow leg or something!"

"I was thinking the same thing," Elsa said. "I can understand Kristoff, he's a big guy, but Anna's about half his size and eats the same amount."

"I'm still growing!" Anna said irritably. "I grew an inch last year!"

"Make sure you're growing up, and not out," Rapunzel joked, nudging Anna in the side. Anna swatted at her hand, but couldn't keep herself from grinning. The four friends all laughed, Kristoff and Anna guffawing loudly enough to startle some of the other customers.

The waiter brought out their pizza and four plates as they calmed down. He set the pizza in the middle of the table with a warning that the dish was hot and set a plate in front of each person. With a promise to be back shortly, he disappeared off to another table.

"Damn, that looks delicious!" Kristoff said, reaching for the serving utensil, He dropped a piece on Elsa's plate before setting one on his own and handing the utensil to Anna. She threw a slice on Rapunzel's plate and then two on her own, looking to Kristoff with an eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Your funeral," Kristoff said, grabbing two more pieces of pizza. "Elsa and Rapunzel, grab what you want soon, otherwise Anna and I will eat it all."

Halfway through her fifth slice of pizza, Anna's phone alarm when off. She stuffed the rest of the piece in her mouth and jumped up, grabbing her bag. "I'll be back in a second," Anna said quickly with a pointed look at Kristoff. "No cheating." With that, she disappeared off to the bathroom.

"She does that," Rapunzel said. "Every day at lunch, too. Don't know why, but it must be something important."

Elsa looked at the door Anna disappeared through, only to see the girl come crashing out again, a panicked look in her eyes. She held up a finger as if to tell Elsa to wait a minute and then she dashed out of the restaurant doors. Elsa's eyes followed her out to the car, where she rifled through the center console and the glove compartment before tearing back into the restaurant, even more panicked.

"I need to go home," Anna said quickly, catching her breath. "I need you to come with me, Elsa. Rapunzel, can you take Kristoff home when you're done eating?"

"Wait, why does Elsa need to go with you? Can't I?" Rapunzel asked.

"I might not be able to make it all the way. Elsa at least has some idea how to drive my car now. I've really got to go, is this okay, Elsa?"

"Yeah, it's fine, but what's going on?"

"I'll tell you later," Anna said. She grabbed one more piece of pizza and stuffed it in her mouth, pointing at Kristoff. "We'll continue this later. Sorry for dragging you out just to leave you. I'll see you soon."

Once out of the building, Elsa grabbed Anna's shirt to stop her. "Will you tell me what the fuck is going on?"

* * *

_A/N: And my first cliffhanger! I'm so sorry. Not much to say about this one, just that it will be resolved on Tuesday. Happy Fourth of July to those of you in the US, I know I'll be spending my weekend being irresponsible!  
_

_As always, thanks for reading and please review! I love you all!_

_~Matt_


	15. Chapter 14

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 14

* * *

_Once out of the building, Elsa grabbed Anna's shirt to stop her. "Will you tell me what the fuck is going on?"_

* * *

"I have half an hour before I'm unsafe to drive," Anna said quickly. "It's a forty minute drive, so I'll tell you when we get there. I may have to pull over and have you drive."

Elsa let go of Anna's shirt and walked to the passenger side of the car. "Deal, but you better not back out of it. I've avoided prying, but if shit like this is going to happen, I need to know why."

"Yeah, of course," Anna said, unlocking her side of the car. Once they were both in and buckled, Anna quickly pulled out of the parking lot and sped down the street. She turned her music up, but not loud enough to really bother Elsa, and started singing along.

"Singing keeps me focused on the road," Anna said in a break between songs. "Sorry if it bothers you, but I really need it right now."

Elsa shrugged, watching Anna as she drove. She hadn't seen the girl act like this before, all desperate and panicky. Her knuckles where white with how hard she was gripping the steering wheel, and her singing sounded more and more forced as time passed.

They were only a few miles from Anna's house when Elsa noticed that Anna had stopped singing. She glanced at Anna, whose eyes were unfocused, and saw that they were drifting towards the white line. "Anna!" she shouted. "You're drifting!"

Anna jumped at the sound of Elsa's voice and jerked the steering wheel so that they were in the center of their lane again. As soon as it was safe, Anna pulled the car over and turned it off. She looked at Elsa and the older girl could see just how terrified Anna was. "I need you to drive the rest of the way," Anna said. "I can't… I don't trust myself to make it back without drifting again. There's no one else around, just take it slow, okay?"

Elsa nodded slowly, unbuckling herself and climbing out of the car to switch seats with Anna. Once in the driver's seat, she pushed in the clutch and started the engine. She breathed slowly, glancing at Anna, who was staring out the window. Ever so slowly, Elsa pressed on the gas and let go of the clutch, only for the car to shudder to a stop. Cursing, she started the engine again and made sure the car was in first gear. She tried again, only to have the same result.

"You're panicking when the car starts to move. Don't panic and lift your foot off the gas, just keep going."

Elsa looked over at Anna, but the girl was lost out the window again. "Okay, Elsa," she told herself. "You can do this. Calm down, don't panic. It's only a few miles, and once you're started you're golden. Stop panicking and just go."

A couple of shuddering stops and several curses later, Elsa finally got the station wagon to move and drove slowly down the road, grateful that no one else was driving the same direction. She glanced at Anna every few seconds to make sure the girl was okay and noticed that Anna was twitching. It wasn't seizure-like twitching, so Elsa didn't stop the car, but Anna was bouncing her knee, twiddling her thumbs, and tapping her foot all at once. It didn't seem like she knew she was doing it either, because she was still just staring out the window, lost in her own little world.

As Elsa pulled the car into the spot in front of the garage, she forgot to push the clutch in and the car jerked to a stop. The sudden jerking pulled Anna out of her daydream and she quickly unbuckled herself and stumbled out of the car. Elsa followed Anna into the house after locking the car, albeit at a slower pace, and was met with a befuddled Teresa in the dining room.

"Good evening," Elsa said, waving slightly. "Sorry for disturbing you."

Teresa chuckled, folding up the newspaper she was reading. "You're not the disturbing one, it was the little redheaded tornado that just came flying through here that disturbed my reading. What happened?"

"I'm... not quite sure," Elsa said. "But something's wrong with her. She's acting awfully strange."

"Hm," Teresa took a sip of the tea she was drinking, and promptly choked on it. "Wait, did it have anything to do with her alarm?"

"Yeah, her alarm went off, so she went to the restroom and then out to her car in a panic. I had to drive the last few miles here because she was drifting off the road."

"That girl," Teresa said, sighing. "She is in so much trouble, she knows better! First Thanksgiving, now today, she can't keep doing this."

"I-I know mom, I'm sorry."

Elsa and Teresa both looked up towards the hallway, where a dejected Anna stood, staring at her feet. Elsa pulled a chair out for Anna before taking a seat herself. Anna didn't look up from the floor as she walked over and sat down, her hands tightly clasped together.

"So," Elsa said gently, "want to tell me what just happened?"

Anna hesitated, taking in a deep breath. "Severe adult ADHD," she said finally, looking up to meet Elsa's gaze. "That's the diagnosis. I've had it since I was a kid, but it never faded like it does in most. If anything, it got worse as I grew. I can't keep my focus unless I'm medicated. Like, literally, I can't focus for more than a couple minutes or so under normal circumstances. I take medication three times a day, and that usually keeps me pretty stable. Uhm. That's why mom homeschooled me for a few years, we had to figure out what kind of medication would work best before they set me loose in public school."

"So your alarm goes off when it's time to take your medication?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, and I usually have some in my bag and in my car, but I guess I forgot to refill them last time I had to use them," Anna said, shrugging. "Whiiiich I shouldn't do, ever, and I'm really stupid for letting this happen," she added quickly after seeing Teresa's pointed look.

Elsa was silent for a moment, going through her memories in an attempt to understand. It was all beginning to make sense, like pieces of a puzzle finally snapping together. Why Anna had the habit of staring off into space, why Anna preferred driving a stick shift, why Anna had become so concerned with control, why she had called herself _special_ all those years ago – Elsa finally understood. She felt for Anna, not just sympathy for her situation, but pride in knowing that she had overcome something so debilitating. She had known Anna was strong, of course, but now Elsa knew just _how_ strong she was. It was admirable. Elsa found herself wishing she could do the same.

"Your medication, they're pills right?" Elsa found herself asking.

"Y-yeah, it's-"

"That's fine, I don't need to know what it is," Elsa said softly. "You've shared enough for today. Just… How about I keep some with me from now on? In case this happens again?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Teresa said cautiously. "Those medications are really popular with kids your age."

"I won't sell them, or give them away, or let anyone know I have them. They'll just be the last line of defense against something like this. Hell, even just one pill would be enough!"

"I think it's a good idea, Mom," Anna piped up, smiling at Elsa. "Elsa and I spend a lot of time together now, so she's the most likely to be with me if it happens again. And it's not like we're going to give her a whole bottle, just one or two for me to use in case of emergency."

Teresa sighed, rubbing her temple. "I don't like it, but you're right. Thank you, Elsa, for being willing to step up here."

"It won't be any trouble," Elsa said. "I just don't want to see Anna that upset again."

"Do you want me to call Kristoff to come get you?" Anna asked, realizing that she had basically kidnapped Elsa. "I could take you home in the morning on my way to school; I shouldn't be driving again tonight, just in case."

"I can crash on the couch," Elsa said, shrugging. "But you should call Kris and let him know you're okay. Knowing him, he's ready to call the police and send out a search party."

"Pf, like I'd let you sleep on the couch," Anna scoffed, rolling her eyes. She dug her phone out of her pocket and typed out a quick message to both Kristoff and Rapunzel to let them know that she and Elsa were both alive. "I've got a trundle, it slides out from under my bed. We're gonna stay up late and tell scary stories and have pillow fights and all that good sleepover stuff!"

Teresa raised her eyebrow at Anna before pulling the newspaper out again. "No, you're not, because it's a school night. I want you asleep by ten."

Anna rolled her eyes and heaved an exaggerated sigh, draping her arm over her face in mock despair. "Oh, woe is me, my first sleepover and my mother has given me a bedtime. Such cruelty!"

Much to Teresa's satisfaction, however, by the time ten o'clock rolled around both girls had passed out with the light in Anna's room still on. She walked into the room long enough to pull the covers over each of their shoulders and press a quick kiss on Anna's forehead. She looked back and turned out the light before closing the door and heading to her own bedroom.

* * *

Elsa was jerked awake by the sound of an alarm and she sat up, feeling like she had barely slept at all. Glancing at the clock on Anna's nightstand, she saw that her feeling was justified as it was three in the morning. Anna had sat up as well, reaching onto the table to turn the alarm off. With a sleepily murmured apology, the girl dug through the drawer on her nightstand until Elsa heard the telltale rattling of pills in a bottle.

"Every eight hours," Anna mumbled, popping a pill in her mouth and washing it down with a gulp of water from the bottle on her nightstand. "Otherwise I can't sleep, my mind races too much."

Elsa mumbled something that was supposed to sound like "It's okay" or "Don't worry about it," but she wasn't sure if her sleepy words were at all coherent. She laid back down and stared at the ceiling for a few moments, surprised that she didn't fall back asleep immediately.

"Hey Elsa?"

"Mm?"

"Thanks. For today, er, for yesterday I suppose. I'm sorry for shoving that all on you so suddenly."

"It's fine," Elsa said. She paused for a moment before speaking again. "Hey Anna?"

"Yeah?"

"You have a beautiful voice."

* * *

_A/N: There you go, guys, cliffhanger resolved! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Elsa and Anna are growing closer! Thanks as always for reading and reviewing, and see you Tuesday!  
_

_~Matt_


	16. Chapter 15

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 15

"So you said that your medicine usually keeps you stable; what happens when it doesn't?"

Elsa was sitting in the passenger seat of Anna's car, wearing the same clothes she had the previous day. Luckily, she had enough time to stop at her apartment and clean up before her classes started. She had been woken up all too early, but Anna needed to get to school on time and didn't have the leisure of a 9 o'clock first class.

"Every once in a while, no matter what I do, my meds are ineffective for a day or so. I've had it last a couple days, or as short as a couple hours. I usually skip school and hide in the garage for however long it takes. Working on my car settles me down some, it's kind of like therapy," Anna said, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. "Well, it's not always my car. There's only so much I can do with one car, so sometimes it's mom's, or Rapunzel's, or even the lawnmower. Anything with an engine, really."

"Where did you learn how to be a mechanic?" Elsa asked, surprised.

"I started watching Youtube videos when I was 14. I pretty much locked myself in the garage with my computer for a week, watching all the videos about Saturns. Since then, I've broadened my range out to most Japanese brands. Next thing I want to do is learn European, and then I'll get to the rest of the American."

Elsa hummed in thought, rubbing her chin as she stared out the window. "So if I bought a beater Mustang, would you help me fix it up and teach me how to maintain it?"

"Are you kidding?" Anna asked, glancing at Elsa. "Fuck yeah I would, I'd get that car runnin' so nice you'd think it was brand spankin' new!"

* * *

Luckily for Elsa, Kristoff wasn't in the apartment when she returned. She wasn't quite ready to explain what had happened the previous night. After peeking into the living room, Elsa turned back to Anna, who had walked her up to the apartment. Elsa smiled, clasping her hands behind her back.

"You ought to get to school, you'll be late if you stick around," Elsa said.

"I know, I just… Thanks, again. And sorry. I didn't ever want to burden you with that."

"Anna, it's fine," Elsa said, getting somewhat tired of repeating herself. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll burden you with all my problems when I'm ready to, okay? Not now, you know, but eventually."

Anna's face broke out into a lopsided grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. "That seems fair," she said. "Though, it's not really about fairness, is it? You're just here for me, so I want to be there for you, in case you need my help or support or anything because you're already doing so much for me and I just feel bad 'cause I'm kinda useless you know, and-"

"You're not useless, Anna," Elsa said firmly. "You're anything but useless. I don't ever want to hear you say that again."

"O…kay?"

"You help me more than you know just by being my friend, Anna." Elsa smiled softly, her voice much gentler. "But right now, you need to go to school and I need to get cleaned up so I can go to class. I'll see you tomorrow for lunch, yeah?"

"Tomorrow?" Anna asked. "Oh yeah! Saturday! You're going to help me study for my Chemistry exam! Right! Well, I'm off to school. Looks like it's gonna rain again, so don't wear white, okay?"

Elsa rolled her eyes, smiling as she watched Anna dart towards the stairs. Did the girl ever run out of energy? Once the redhead disappeared from sight, Elsa stepped into her apartment and shut the door quietly, sighing. Her smile didn't fade until she was well on her way to the college.

* * *

Anna stumbled into her first period class just before the bell rang. She gave a shy wave to Rapunzel, knowing that as soon as class was over she would be interrogated by her cousin. Her eyes trailed away from her grumpy cousin and towards her seat, where she was greeted with a surprise.

"Hans?"

"Good morning, Anna, I hope you don't mind that I switched seats with Mulan. You've just looked so happy lately and I could use a bit of cheer in my life as well." His smile was charming as he scratched nervously at one of his impeccably groomed auburn sideburns. Anna found herself almost lost in his green eyes, and jumped when he cleared his throat.

"Oh! Uh, sure, I guess, but Mulan and I are partners for the group project and we'll be working on that for the second half of first period and she'll need her seat back for that, so..."

"That's fine," Hans said, sitting down. He unzipped his letterman's jacket and smoothed out his khaki slacks as he did so. "The first half should be enough every day. I must say, you have a dazzling smile."

Anna felt her cheeks heat up and she sat down next to Hans, clasping her hands in her lap and staring at them intently. "T-thanks."

As promised, Hans switched seats with Mulan when it was time to work on the group project, rejoining his own partner. Anna caught herself glancing at him more than once and tried to force herself to focus on her work. She nearly jumped to her feet in excitement when the bell rang (not because she didn't like Mulan, but because Hans wouldn't be in her next class to distract her, _damn _those sideburns and his ridiculously perfect hair!), bumping into a startled Hans. He caught her before she fell, and she found that he was slightly taller than Elsa but shorter than Kristoff. Strangely, she felt that he wasn't nearly as warm as either of them were.

"Careful there," Hans chuckled. "Say, do you want to go out for coffee sometime?"

Anna choked and tripped on nothing, catching herself on a desk. "What, really? Me? Me and you? Coffee?"

"Yeah, me and you," Hans said, smiling. "I'd like to get to know you better, I feel like we might have a mental synchronization going on."

Anna choked again, using her right fist to tap against her chest. "First, that's creepy so don't say it again. Second, sure, I don't see why not. Let's see, when am I free next..." she tapped on her chin in thought, speaking to herself more than Hans. "Tomorrow's lunch and studying with Elsa, Sunday's movies with Kristoff and Elsa, Monday I'm tagging along to work with Elsa, Tuesday dinner with Mom, Wednesday Elsa, Thursday Elsa, Kristoff and Rapunzel, then back to work on the weekend... Can I get back to you on that?"

"Wow," Hans said, laughing. "You've got a packed schedule. Who's Elsa?"

"She's my childhood friend turned college mentor turned best friend, though I think Rapunzel might be upset if she knew Elsa was my best friend, but Rapunzel's my cousin so she's more of an obligatory best friend and a girl can have more than one best friend if she wants, right, cause Kristoff's kind of my best friend too, so I guess I have three of 'em, it's kind of like a collection, gotta catch 'em all and all that, and oh God, I'm rambling and this is really embarrassing, I'm going to shut up now. Right now. Wow."

"Wow indeed, did you even stop to breathe there?" Hans laughed again, straightening his jacket. "It's fine, just go ahead and let me know when you're free. You couldn't just be a bit late to meet with Elsa one night, though?"

"Nope, no can do," Anna said quickly, shaking her head. "Elsa's second only to my mom in my life right now. Sorry, Hans, you'll just have to wait until next week, I'll leave one of my afternoons open."

"Ouch," Hans said, grimacing. "That's fine, I suppose. I'll see you in the mornings at least. We probably ought to get to class, though, else we'll be late to second period. See you later!"

"Bye Hans!" Anna called after the boy's retreating back. She sighed happily and turned to walk to her next class, met by a frowning Rapunzel. The girl had her arms crossed over her chest and was tapping her foot, eyebrow raised.

"Oh, uh, hi Rapunzel. We're, uh, we're gonna be late to class if you keep standing there, Hans already kept me too long. Uh, walk and talk?"

"What the hell happened last night?" Rapunzel said, turning and walking down the hallway with Anna. "You run off with no explanation, and then all I get is a text an hour later saying 'I'm alive, see you tomorrow'? What the hell?"

"Weeelllll... It's kind of a personal issue," Anna said slowly, trying to figure out the easiest was to avoid telling Rapunzel exactly what was going on. "Uhm, I just... It was an emergency, and I needed to go home right then. Medical emergency, I suppose. I didn't make it all the way home before I was unsafe to drive, so I had to have Elsa drive the rest of the way."

"So what, you have like diabetes or something? Gotta take a shot every so often?"

"Nothing life-threatening like that, unless I'm driving or doing something else potentially dangerous. But it is something I need to keep up with regularly, and I had to go home to take care of it. I'm sorry, I'm just not ready to tell anyone about it yet."

Rapunzel shrugged and smiled, wrapping her arms around Anna's shoulders. "It's fine, Anna, you don't need to tell me. I was just surprised is all. Now it won't catch me by surprise again."

"Hopefully it won't happen again," Anna said with a wry laugh. "I was stupid and let myself run out of medication. Now Elsa carries some just for that situation."

"So Elsa can know, but I can't?"

Anna grimaced. She hadn't meant to let that slip. "I didn't have much of a choice," Anna admitted. "She wouldn't let me get away without an explanation. I kind of owed it to her, too, after putting her through that."

Rapunzel nodded, squeezing Anna's shoulders again. "That's true. Someday, I hope you'll be able to tell me. I'm your favorite cousin after all."

"My only cousin," Anna scoffed, rolling her eyes. She brought her hands up to squeeze Rapunzel's arm. "I guess all the more reason to be my favorite."

The bell rang, and both girls jumped, taking off towards their second period class. Somewhere along the way, they gripped each others' hands and started laughing. The girls were breathless by the time they barreled into their classroom. Both gave a quick apology to the teacher between giggles before heading to their seats in the back of the room. Their fingers remained laced together for the entirety of the class.

* * *

"So, uh, I got a message from Anna saying you were both alive, but that was all."

Kristoff sat across from Elsa in the cafeteria, his burger untouched on the table in front of him. His shaggy hair was a mess under his beanie, and the bags under his eyes told Elsa that he hadn't slept well the previous night. She sighed, setting her plastic spork on the table.

"I know, Kristoff, and I'm sorry but I can't tell you exactly what happened. That's up to Anna to tell you when she's ready. But she really needed to be home, and I had to drive the last few miles. After that, she needed me to just... To just be there for her. We've taken precautions to make sure it doesn't happen again, though, so don't worry."

Kristoff laughed bitterly. "It's you, Elsa, I can't help but worry. You're my bro, Els, and Anna's important, too. If I don't worry about the two of you, what else will I occupy my mind with?"

Elsa smiled, reaching across the table to pat Kristoff's hand. "I appreciate it, I really do. I worry about you just as much, you know? I really do wish I could tell you, but it's just not my place. Maybe she'll tell you if you ask, we're all one big family now, remember?"

Kristoff smiled and placed his other hand on top of Elsa's. "Thanks, Elsa. You have no idea how glad I am to see you opening up to someone else. Not that I mind being your best and only friend, but you're just so much happier now that Anna's in our lives."

Elsa smiled, picking her spork up again to finish her salad and watching Kristoff finally start eating his burger. "So are you, Kristoff," she said softly.

* * *

_A/N: Best friends, gotta catch 'em all! Also, so many line breaks. I did a lot of jumping around this chapter, sorry about that. I had fun with it, though, and Hans has finally made an actual appearance after not being mentioned for 14 chapters! I love you all, and look forward to reviews!_

_..._

_..._

_... *holds up spork*_

_~Matt_


	17. Chapter 16

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 16

Anna was practically skipping out of her last period chemistry class on Monday, humming a happy tune and not looking where she was going. She had just completed her exam, and she was sure (absolutely _positive_) that she had aced the whole thing. All thanks to Elsa's help - speaking of her awesome friend, she was even more excited to see Elsa than she was about the chemistry exam.

"Oof!"

Anna looked up at the person she had run into at full force, intending to apologize as quickly as possible and then be on her way.

"Oh! Hans! Hi!" Anna spluttered after looking up to see the massive sideburns that adorned the young man's face. "Sorry for running into you, I really ought to watch where I'm going, but I'm just so excited 'cause I think I aced my chemistry exam and I get to go spend the evening with Elsa, and now here you are so today's just a good day in general!"

"Well, congratulations on the exam!" Hans said, excitedly pulling Anna into a hug. If he noticed the girl stiffening at his touch, he paid no mind. Anna wriggled in his grasp, pushing herself away from him with a frown.

"Can you, uh, not do that? I don't really know you all that well and you know, it's a little weird. I mean, I like you, I think, but still," Anna said, shrugging and avoiding meeting Hans's eyes.

"I guess, but I'm just trying to help you, Anna," Hans said, putting a hand on Anna's shoulder.

"Help me?" Anna echoed, confused.

"Yeah, you know everyone at school thinks you're, how to put it, _batting for the other team_. But I know you're not like that, and I want to help you show everyone." The way he spoke made it seem as though he was doing Anna some huge favor and that she should be eternally grateful. Anna, however, only felt slight disgust at Hans's words.

"And is there something wrong with being _like that_?" Anna asked, using her fingers to make air quotes just in case the disdain dripping from her voice wasn't enough. "It doesn't matter whether I am or not, but is there something wrong with it?"

"Of course there is!" Hans said, grabbing both of Anna's shoulders. "It's not right! It's unnatural! People like that can't possibly find happiness if they choose that lifestyle! But it's okay, Anna, because I know you're normal. In the best of ways, of course."

Anna roughly pushed Hans's hands off of her shoulders. "Excuse me? Why don't you tell all of that to both of my mothers, who might I add are very happy and _very _together, _if you know what I mean_. The only thing not right here is you, Hans, and I'll thank you very kindly not to badmouth my parents or anyone else like them." Her sentences were punctuated with jabs to his chest with her forefinger.

A bewildered look crossed Hans's face, and he stepped back away from Anna. Thinking she was done, Anna patted her hands together as if she was brushing dust off them, and turned to start walking away from the dumbstruck boy.

"Your family is sick!"

Anna stopped in her tracks and tried really, really hard not to turn around. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, weighing the pros and cons of letting Hans get to her like that. Her anger won out, in the end, and she turned quickly, planting her right fist on the boy's left eye. Watching him crumple to the ground with a satisfied look on her face, Anna shook her right hand to try and alleviate the pain the punch had caused. She turned yet again, and made it a few steps away before someone grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

* * *

"Anna," Elsa said as she sat in the passenger seat of Anna's station wagon. "You're late, and what happened to your face?"

"I punched a guy," Anna said, not meeting Elsa's eyes. "He punched harder. Sorry for being late."

Elsa sighed and buckled her seat belt, wanting nothing more than to reach up and touch the bruise forming around Anna's right eye to try and soothe the pain. "Why did you punch a guy?" she settled for asking. "And why wasn't it hard enough to keep him from punching back?"

Anna barked out a laugh despite her poor mood. "Not quite the reaction I expected, but I like it. I punched him 'cause he was badmouthing gay people. Called my family sick. He was able to punch me back because I hit him in the face instead of the balls like I should've." Without waiting for Elsa to respond, Anna continued, fighting back tears. "And I'm really pissed off, because he seemed like such a nice guy, and we were going to go on a date, but it turns out he's an asshole and the bastard's so _goddamn _pretty that he can get away with it around everyone else!"

"Hey," Elsa said softly, "at least he won't be pretty for as long as it takes for his face to heal."

"And after it does, I'll hit him again just for good measure," Anna grumbled, glancing away from the road and finally meeting Elsa's eyes, even if only for a second. "Asshole probably only wanted to date me to prove he could get into the school dyke's pants." She wasn't able to hold back her tears any more but she fought them every inch of the way, resulting in painful sobs. "He was so n-nice to me, too, even if h-he was a little bit w-weird. I th-thought maybe I - maybe I c-could l-like him."

Elsa was relieved when they pulled into the parking lot of her warehouse, as she wasn't sure Anna was quite safe to drive. "Anna, I'm so sorry that happened," she said. "Come on, let's get inside and get you a proper hug from Kristoff. I brought an extra pair of safety shoes today, so I can show you around the whole warehouse. You can tag along as I work to keep your mind off this guy and then I'll buy you a sandwich for dinner, how does that sound?"

Anna nodded, gingerly wiping her eyes, avoiding the bruise that was starting to swell. "Th-that sounds like a good plan," she said.

As the two women walked into the warehouse, Anna did her best to stop crying and make herself look somewhat presentable. Even before changing, which Elsa had always done first thing upon arrival, she stepped into the warehouse to find Kristoff. The man was sitting with his elbows propped up on his desk, rubbing his temples. Elsa leaned over his shoulder and whispered a few words in his ear that Anna couldn't quite hear, and Kristoff looked up at Anna in shock. He stood and reached out, brushing Anna's forehead just above the bruise with his thumb before pulling her into a tight hug.

"Hey," Kristoff said softly, "did you know that reindeers are better than people?"

"Reindeers are certainly better than Hans," Anna grumbled into Kristoff's shoulder.

Kristoff smiled and looked up at Elsa, waving her away so that she could go get changed into her warehouse clothes. He pat Anna on the back, not letting go of the girl until she was good and ready. "People smell better than reindeers, though," he said.

"'Cept for you," Anna joked, her laugh muffled by Kristoff's shoulder.

Kristoff scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I smell like wet dog, not reindeer," he said as if it was something to be proud of. "That's enough of my substitute Elsa hug, here's your Kristoff hug!" He squeezed his arms tightly around Anna, lifting her up off the ground in a big bear hug. Anna squealed, kicking her feet and laughing.

"You're the best, Kristoff," Anna said once she was on the ground again. She pulled slightly away, leaving one hand resting on Kristoff's shoulder. "The substitute Elsa hug thing was cute. I don't even know why I bothered with Hans, I don't need anyone except the two of you."

"I won't tell Rapunzel you said that," Kristoff joked. He ruffled Anna's bangs, causing them to stick out in every direction. Anna quickly ran her own hands through her bangs to fix them, glaring up at Kristoff and pouting. She shivered slightly and before Kristoff could offer his jacket, one was draped over her shoulders.

Anna looked at the jacket and then up, seeing Elsa standing next to her with a smile. "I grabbed you an ice pack from the freezer," Elsa said. "Let's get your shoes changed and get to work."

Anna smiled, taking the ice pack that Elsa had wrapped in paper towels and pressing it gingerly to the side of her face. "Thanks," she said. "And thanks for the hug, even if it did smell like wet dog."

Elsa chuckled as she slid a pair of shoes over towards Anna's feet. "It's the best I can do right now," she admitted, "so I guess you'll just have to put up with wet dog smell."

"It's not that bad," Kristoff muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Remember how in Monsters, Inc. they used odorant instead of deodorant? Yeah, I'm pretty sure you have a can of wet dog scent in your desk there," Elsa said, grinning.

Anna straightened up, having switched her shoes and tied the new ones in double-knots. She hopped a couple times, getting a feel for the boots, and grinned. "Ready for that tour, boss!" she said, awkwardly saluting with her left hand as her right was still holding the ice pack. Elsa briefly wondered just how Anna had managed to tie her shoes with one hand occupied, but chose not to question it. Sometimes Anna did the strangest of things in the oddest of ways, and most times it was best not to question her methods.

Anna had, after all, once claimed that the reason she knew so much about history was that she regularly conversed with a painting of Joan of Arc. Elsa had decided to stop questioning how Anna did things after being left more confused than she had been before she asked.

"Are you sure that giving me your jacket is okay?" Anna asked, pulling Elsa out of her reverie. "Won't you be cold?"

"Nah," Elsa said lightly, waving her hand. "The cold never bothered me anyway."

The smirk on Kristoff's face told Anna that Elsa probably wasn't telling the truth. The shiver and sneeze from Elsa moments later confirmed it.

"Liar," Anna said, smiling and pulling the coat tighter around her shoulders.

* * *

By the time their evening was over, Anna had completely forgotten about Hans. She had learned a lot about how the warehouse operated, watched forklifts work from up-close (she was itching to get her hands on an engine, but she doubted they would let her), and eaten yet another delicious sandwich from Oaken's. Upon dropping Kristoff and Elsa off at their apartment, she received another gigantic hug from Kristoff as well as some love from Sven. It was nearing midnight when she finally returned home, dragging her feet on the way to her bedroom, ready to collapse and sleep soundly through the night.

Anna's last thought as she drifted off to sleep was that with Elsa, Kristoff, and Rapunzel at her side, she was pretty sure she could get through anything life decided to throw at her.

* * *

_A/N: And there you have it! I thought about drawing out the whole Hans thing, but I don't really want to write an 80-chapter fic. Nothing wrong with those, but I'm aiming to end before chapter 40. But don't think this is the last of Hans!  
_

_Thanks for reading, as always, and I look forward to reviews! Seriously, reviews make me write faster, and writing faster means more surprise weekend updates. Hint hint._

_See you Thursday!_

_~Matt_


	18. Chapter 17

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 17

_A/N: I suppose I should've done this before last chapter, but derogatory terms will be used in this chapter as well. If that makes you uncomfortable, I apologize._

_Also, I don't own Frozen. So sad. Teresa and Claire are mine, though._

* * *

Surprisingly, the last two weeks of school before Christmas break were quiet. Hans hadn't kicked up a fuss like Anna had expected, though she did hear a few more rumors of her lesbian tendencies flying around. Nothing she wasn't used to hearing, though. He had stopped sitting with her during first period, for which she was glad, and other than a few glares now and again he seemed to be avoiding interacting with her completely. Anna found that she was perfectly happy with how things ended up working out.

She had indeed aced her chemistry exam, earning one of the highest grades in her class. Anna had every intention of having Elsa tutor her before every exam for the rest of the school year if that was how it would turn out. She found that she was understanding the coursework more, which also meant that she was beginning to enjoy it. Chemistry had leapt above math and politics in her list of favorite classes. She didn't like it by any means, but she wasn't dreading walking into the classroom every day.

Anna's face had healed nicely, and now was only slightly tender around her eye. Hans, however, was still slightly swollen and a lovely shade of greenish-yellow. There was little that Anna had accomplished in her life that made her prouder than that bruise. She was surprised that she hadn't received more questions or comments about it - though, to be fair, she didn't really have many friends aside from Rapunzel. Most of the other students were content to ignore her, which was light years better than the bullying she had received through elementary school.

Suspicion started rising on the second to last day of school. Anna was used to whispers, yes, but it seemed that there was a constant hum of students passing rumors. Every once in a while Anna would notice a giggle or a glance in her direction. Her suspicions were confirmed the morning of their last day before Christmas break, when Rapunzel grabbed her arm before first period.

"Anna, Hans has been talking shit about you," Rapunzel said, not even bothering with a greeting. "Like, saying you tried to force yourself on him or something, and that's how you both got bruises. Just about everyone's heard it!"

Anna groaned, rubbing her temple with her right hand. "Just what I needed," Anna said. "I'm gonna go in there and set things straight."

"You go, girl," Rapunzel said, patting Anna's back. "Tell him so bad he'll have to look up that list of burn centers in the US."

Stepping into the classroom, Anna took a deep breath and looked straight at Hans. He was talking to the girl next to him, and from what Anna heard he was relaying his fake story yet again. She walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, smirking as she noticed the shocked look on his face.

"So, Hans, couldn't get off on reforming the school dyke, so you decide to spread lies about me, huh?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hans said, recovering his nonchalant attitude just in time. "I'm just telling it how it is, you wanted me so bad you couldn't take no for an answer. Don't deny it."

"Please," Anna scoffed. "If I wanted to have sex with a dick as small as yours likely is, I might as well just have sex with a woman like you all seem to think I want to do anyway."

The girl next to Hans giggled, grinning up at Anna. Anna grinned back and rested her hands on her hips. "Now, I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from spreading lies about me. The truth will come out in the end anyway, the fact that you're a homophobic asshole. I don't really care much what people say about me, but the minute you badmouth my mothers is when asses start getting kicked, as you found out. Next time I won't stop with just one punch, so you better play nice."

"Your parents are sick!" Hans shouted, standing up so that he towered over Anna. "Sick in the head for choosing that lifestyle! It's wrong, Anna, why can't you see that?"

"My mothers love each other, Hans, and that's all that matters! They don't need anything else, especially not approval from assholes like you!"

Hans chuckled. "Oh, Anna," he said. "If only the same could be said for _you. _If only there was someone who loved you."

Had Hans said that to Anna just two months prior, before she had met Elsa and Kristoff, it would have broken her. Even so, she still felt it tear at her heart, opening old wounds and ripping tender scabs from their places, and it took all of her strength to keep herself together.

"You're wrong, Hans," Anna said evenly, standing up straight and looking the boy in the eyes. She would not allow herself to falter, not now. "I have people who love me. And unlike the people that you think love you, my friends - no, my _family _loves me unconditionally. I don't need you, your approval, or your micropenis to validate me."

"Damn, son, do you need some ice for that burn?" Anna broke eye contact with Hans to smile appreciatively at her cousin. Rapunzel was standing next to the teacher, whose smile was nearly as wide as her own. When Anna turned back around, Hans had sunk back into his seat, glaring at the floor.

"If that's that," the teacher said, "would everyone please take their seats? Class started five minutes ago."

"This isn't over," Hans snapped as Anna walked away.

"Yes, Hans, it is. I'm done. Do what you want, but I'm done with you," Anna said back, walking to her desk.

* * *

_Knock knock knock-knock knock_

Kristoff jumped off the couch as Sven darted to the door, yipping in excitement. Grabbing the dog by the collar, he pulled the door open and was barreled into by a squealing redhead. He laughed and kicked the door shut, picking Anna up by the waist and hauling her over to the couch, where he tossed her next to Elsa.

"I'm free!" Anna squeaked, raising her arms in celebration. "Three whole weeks with no school! So much excite!" She wriggled around on the couch until she found a comfortable position, careful not to jostle Elsa. When she was sufficiently burrowed into the cushions, Anna turned to Elsa with a look of pure joy in her eyes. "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow, glancing out the window. "There's no snow," she said. "But when there is, ask again. I just might say yes."

"Pff, you don't need snow to build a snowman!"

"Anna, snow is kind of the key ingredient for snowman-making," Kristoff said, handing each of the girls a cup of steaming hot chocolate before sitting on the couch. "You literally can't make a snowman without it."

"Point taken," Anna conceded, sipping at her hot chocolate. "Elsa makes it better," she commented after a moment's thought.

Kristoff rolled his eyes as Elsa chuckled. "Sorry for not measuring up to your expectations," he said sarcastically. He patted his knee and Sven awkwardly half-climbed, half-jumped onto his lap, and then the puppy proceeded to stretch himself out over all three of their laps. He was just barely big enough, his head resting in Elsa's lap and his back legs just barely hanging on Kristoff's. Without even thinking about it, both girls started petting the dog with their free hands, Elsa scratching behind his ear and Anna idly rubbing his stomach.

The unfortunate thing about idle petting is that the hand tends to wander, from stomach to back to leg back to stomach and then finally ending up at the puppy's neck. So while completely engrossed in conversation, Anna didn't notice Elsa freezing up until she turned away from Kristoff and saw that Elsa had stopped breathing. Finally looking down, Anna noticed that her hand was no longer petting Sven's neck, but was instead halfway entwined with Elsa's. Quickly, as if she had been burned, Anna tore her hand away, surprising the puppy enough for him to jump down to the floor.

"I'm sorry," Elsa said before Anna could say anything. "I'm so sorry, I- I-"

"Wait, what? What're you sorry for? It was my fault!"

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- I shouldn't have- I," Elsa stood, covering her mouth with her hand, setting her hot chocolate roughly on the coffee table. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Anna watched Elsa hurriedly retreat to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She turned to Kristoff, hoping for an explanation, but all she received was a worried look and a shrug.

"All we can do is wait for her to come back out," Kristoff said. "Could take minutes, could take hours, but she really doesn't take well to being bothered during her episodes."

Anna turned back to look at the bathroom door, her hands clutched together around the mug of hot chocolate held tightly in front of her chest. All she could do was sit and wait. Anna hated sitting and waiting. For Elsa, however, Anna firmly decided that she would do whatever it takes.

* * *

_A/N: Dun dun DUNNNN! Another cliffhanger, just for you guys. Why do I keep doing this on Thursdays? Anyway, next week we get to learn a bit more about Elsa, I hope you're all looking forward to it!  
_

_Thanks as always for reading, I look forward to reviews to tell me how I did!_

_~Matt_


	19. Chapter 18

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 18

Elsa gasped for air, sitting on the bathroom floor with her legs sprawled across the linoleum. Drawing her hand across her mouth, she wiped away what remained of her lunch. She leaned against the toilet, feeling the urge to empty her stomach yet again, though she knew that there was nothing left to regurgitate. Elsa's heart beat wildly in her chest – nothing she did could calm it down. It almost felt as if a hand was squeezing it, causing unspeakable pain.

Elsa noticed with a start that she was groaning, and snapped her mouth shut quickly. The pressure in her chest and the storm in her stomach caused her to whimper and bring her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and hugging herself tightly. There was a wetness on Elsa's face, and she couldn't tell if it was sweat or tears. Probably both, Elsa decided as a sob wracked its way through her body. She was burning and yet freezing, sweating and shivering, terrified for herself but more so for Anna.

_Anna._

"I'm so sorry," Elsa whimpered, burying her face in her knees. "Anna, I'm so sorry."

As she sat on the linoleum, the coolness of it comforting her in a way, she heard Kristoff and Anna arguing. In order to make out what they were saying, Elsa moved so that she was sitting with her back against the door.

"Kristoff, you need to tell me what's going on. She's suffering in there, and I'm not going to just sit back and let this happen!"

"Anna, it's not my place to tell you! She's got her problems, like we all do, and I'm not going to tell you all of her secrets!"

"I don't want you to, Kristoff, I just need to know what's going on right _now_. She'll tell me about her past when she's ready. I don't need reasons, I just need to know what she's going through and how I can fix it!" Anna was nearly shouting at Kristoff, her voice only barely muffled by the bathroom door. Elsa hiccuped, burying her face further into her knees.

Kristoff sighed heavily. "Okay, fine. Elsa's got this thing, and she has her reasons but don't ask me, where she doesn't like to touch girls. She doesn't much like touching guys either, but I'm an exception to that and it's not quite the same feeling. She's not grossed out by contact or anything, it's just... She's afraid that her touch is unwanted. That she could be a - a predator. She doesn't want to be a predator, so she just doesn't touch anyone, but when things happen on accident, like this, she gets sick and goes into full panic mode."

Elsa held her breath, waiting for Anna's response. Would the girl leave? Of course she would, Elsa was a freak and didn't deserve her friendship. Elsa was broken and there was nothing that could be done to fix her. She choked back a sob as she heard the couch squeak from the loss of Anna's weight.

"Could Elsa and I have a moment, Kristoff?"

The couch squeaked again. "Sure thing. I'll go get us a pizza or something."

"Thanks, man, you're the best."

Elsa listened as the door opened and shut and soft footsteps made their way toward the bathroom door. Three slow, soft knocks sounded and Elsa froze, trying to keep silent.

"Elsa?" Anna bit back a scoff when she heard Elsa stop breathing. "Please, I know you're in there. I'm just - I'm wondering what you've been through. I'd say have courage, but I already know you're trying to. Could you just let me in?"

When the door in front of her didn't open, Anna sighed and sat down with her back against it, leaning her head back before speaking again. "We have each other now, you know. Kristoff's gone to go get food, so it's just you and me, and this is what we're going to do. You don't have to say anything, but I'm going to talk at you until you can come out from behind that door."

Anna waited for a moment, just in case Elsa did want to say something before she continued. "I suppose I should start at the beginning. You haven't met my other mom, Claire, but she's always been a very hands-on sort of person. Very big on hugs, hand-holding, all of that kind of stuff. Until she fell ill, mom and I were subject to constant hugging and touching. Because I grew up around that, I ended up feeling the same. I love hugs and holding hands with people I care about. I'm a very physical person, you know?

"When I met you again, I was thrown for a loop. No one had ever said no to a hug before, I was afraid I had done something wrong. I didn't know why you said no, but that was okay. I wanted you to feel comfortable with me, so I changed my habits as best I could. The bottom line is that I don't know what you've been through to feel this way. I'd like to know, and I'd like to help you through it, but I won't push for you to tell me.

"I - I just want you to know something, okay? I won't ever mind if you touch me. Hugs, touches on the shoulder, cool hands soothing a bruise on my face, I want all of that. I want so badly to hug you and I don't want you to hold back because you're afraid of hurting me. I know, Elsa, I _know _that you'll never hurt me.

"If you don't ever want to touch me, that's fine. I'll manage - just being around you is enough. But jus- just know that if you ever want a hug or anything, I'll be right here. You're my best friend, Elsa, and it's about time I start acting like it and be here for you."

Anna let herself slip into a comfortable silence, wiping away tears that had made it down her face. She wasn't quite sure when she had started crying. The silence might have lasted minutes or hours, Anna didn't know or care. From her seat in front of the bathroom door, she could just see out the living room window. There was just a bit of daylight hanging on, slowly dying, and it was just enough to allow Anna to see white flakes floating down in front of the window.

"Hey Elsa," Anna said softly. She heard the older woman shift against the door. "It's snowing. Do you wanna build a snowman?"

Anna heard no response and sighed, leaning all her weight against the door. Then, suddenly, her back was against the floor and she was looking up at Elsa. Though her eyes were bloodshot and obvious tear tracks stained her cheeks, her smile was genuine and her bright blue eyes shone with happiness.

"Yes, Anna, I do," Elsa said, smiling. She offered her hand to Anna, who took it with only a moment's hesitation. She reveled in the softness of Anna's hand, biting back the roiling sickness in her stomach. It was so different from Kristoff's - smaller, smoother, warmer. She didn't ever want to let go.

Elsa didn't have to. Anna pulled herself up to her feet with Elsa's help and laced their fingers together with no intention of letting go anytime soon. She led Elsa to the door, not bothering to tie her shoes as she stuffed her feet into them. Tying shoes required two hands, after all.

"Hold up," Elsa said after she had slid her feet into a pair of boots. "I want to... I want to try something."

"Sure thing," Anna said, turning to face Elsa. "What can I do?"

"J-just stand there," Elsa said timidly. As Anna complied, Elsa reached up with her free hand and ran it over Anna's hair, resting it at the back of Anna's head. Elsa's stomach was writhing and she felt light-headed; she couldn't quite bring herself to pull the redhead closer. She fought for a few moments, wanting to draw Anna into a hug but being physically unable. In the end she sighed, letting her hand slide down over a braid to cup Anna's cheek. The storm calmed somewhat, but Elsa began to wonder if it would ever let up completely.

"Sorry, Anna. I can't quite… I can't…" Elsa dropped her gaze, focusing on the floor to her right rather than Anna's eyes.

Anna smiled, reaching up with her free hand to pat Elsa's and rubbing her cheek against the cool palm. "You're fine, Elsa. Take as long as you need. This is more than I ever hoped for."

"Wow! Uhm, okay, should I just come back later?"

Both girls jumped, looking towards the suddenly open door. Kristoff stood there, a goofy smile on his face and a plastic bag in his hand. Sven bounced excitedly at his feet, tugging on his leash trying to get inside.

"That depends," Anna said, glancing down at the bag in Kristoff's hand. "Is that Chinese or Thai?"

Kristoff shrugged. "I actually went a little further to the Japanese place, grabbed some yakisoba and a few rolls of sushi."

"Get your ass in here, son, and get me a pair a chopsticks. All this emotional stuff made me hungry!" Anna pulled Elsa to the side to allow Kristoff room to get through the entryway, but she didn't let go of the older woman's hand. "There probably isn't enough snow on the ground to build a snowman yet, anyway."

"Later," Elsa promised, squeezing Anna's hand. "We'll build more snowmen than you could even dream of."

"That's a hefty promise," Anna said with a grin.

"One I intend to keep. You're my best friend too, Anna, and it's about time I start acting like it."

* * *

_A/N: Hello, everyone! We finally know a bit more about Elsa, though she's still being awfully secretive. But hey, first contact has been made! She's not quite ready for hugs and kisses yet (Will she ever be? Who knows? Certainly not me!), but progress takes time. _

_Thanks to all my readers for sticking with me through this slow, slow burn. Next stop is Christmas, and shit's gonna go down! See you Thursday!_

_~Matt_


	20. Chapter 19

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 19

_A/N: I'm really in the mood for constructive criticism, can someone help me out on that?_

* * *

Aside from work, Elsa and Kristoff spent the majority of their time at Anna and Teresa's house during their break from school. It became routine to head over shortly after waking up and for Kristoff and Sven to pounce upon Anna's bed in order to force her awake. The four would eat breakfast together in various states of dress (or undress, in Anna's case). Elsa had noticed that Anna hardly ever wore pants inside the house, and said article of clothing seemed to mysteriously disappear shortly after coming inside.

Their first morning there, Kristoff had nearly choked on his coffee when Anna came stumbling out into the kitchen. He had gently woken her up that day, not quite comfortable with pouncing on her bed yet. Not only was Anna's hair a rat's nest bigger than her head, she was only wearing a loose black tank top and a pair of green plaid boxers.

"Morning," Anna mumbled, rubbing at her eyes as she plodded into the room. "It's a little early, isn't it?"

"It's nine already, Kristoff and I have been up for hours!" Elsa said, lounging comfortable on one of the dining room chairs. She sipped her coffee slowly, not in the least bit concerned with Anna's state of undress.

Kristoff, on the other hand, took a few moments to regain control of his vocal chords. Once his windpipe was clear of coffee and his breathing had returned to normal, he grinned. "I knew it," he said triumphantly. "I knew you wore boxers! Hah!"

"Well duh," Anna said, sitting down with her own cup of heavily sweetened coffee. "So much more comfortable than girl's underwear."

"Anna," Teresa chided from the kitchen, where she was starting to fix breakfast, "aren't you getting a little _too _comfortable around your friends?"

"No such thing, Mom," Anna called back. "I don't wear pants in this house, that's my rule. If they don't want to wear pants either, then they're welcome to do the same. Unless it bothers you, I suppose."

Teresa rolled her eyes, not that Anna could see her. "I fear your mother was a terrible influence on you, Anna," she said. "You're becoming more like her every day."

Anna shrugged, smiling as she stared into her coffee. "You mean the best of influences. How bad can she be if you want to marry her?"

* * *

After a fantastic breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs, Anna finally got dressed enough to go outside and play in the snow. She and Elsa began their snowman army as Kristoff and Sven explored the five acres of land that the house sat on. About half of the land was grass, not that they could see any of it through the thick coating of snow, and the rest was thick forest, where Kristoff and Sven spent most of their time. Anna listened to Sven barking periodically and Kristoff's shouts of "Sven, stop chasing that squirrel," and "Sven, you're too little, that deer will eat you alive," and "God damnit, Sven, that's not a squirrel that's a sk- Oh God, EWWW!"

After trying every piece of advice from the internet, Sven still smelled a little strange at the end of the day. Bathing him in tomato juice had seemed to help, but the scent had returned shortly after the smell of tomato faded.

"Hrm. Wet dog _and _skunk," Anna observed as she hugged Kristoff goodbye after lunch. "No hugs for you until you get rid of that skunk smell." She gave him a little shove, sending him stumbling down the steps to the driveway, and turned to Elsa. "Have fun at work," she said with a smile.

"Thanks," Elsa said. "Have fun with... Well, whatever you end up doing. I'll see you in the morning?" She reached out slowly to touch Anna's cheek, flinching back at the last second. She forced her hand forward, accidentally pushing Anna's face, but the younger girl didn't protest and eagerly brought her hand up to hold Elsa's. Anna closed her eyes happily, rubbing her cheek against Elsa's palm.

"See you tomorrow," she said, opening her eyes to look at Elsa.

Elsa smiled back, letting her hand linger for longer than necessary. She still felt sick, but less so than she had the previous time and likely more so than she would the next time. Baby steps, she told herself. As much as she wanted to hug Anna or touch her casually or run her fingers through that red hair (she often wondered what it looked like outside of braids or bedhead, she imagined it would have the softest of curls and fall somewhere around Anna's mid-back), she couldn't quite bring herself to do it and she had to convince herself that that was okay. Anna had said so, after all.

* * *

Christmas Eve - one and a half weeks after school let out, 150 snowmen built, countless more to be made before the break was over. Elsa was beginning to regret her promise, but she wasn't about to go back on it. She just wished that Anna didn't have access to so much snow. There were snowmen guarding every inch of the property line and Anna's next project was to line them up on either side of the driveway.

Elsa grew slightly concerned as she spent her days helping Anna build a snowman army. She was often in plain view of her mother's house and was honestly quite surprised that the woman hadn't come out to tell her to come back inside yet. As more cars parked themselves in the driveway, Elsa became more and more reluctant to spend time outside. She still hadn't seen her mother, but that didn't mean her mother hadn't seen her.

As Elsa and Anna made their rounds to check all of their snowmen's noses, Elsa's fears came true. The pair had been skirting the property line between the two houses (where the snowmen looked angriest, thanks to Anna) when she heard a man speak up from behind her.

"Elsa? Is that you?"

Elsa turned, fighting back a grimace, looking up to the man. She folded her arms behind her back, cleared her face of any emotion - the perfect model of professionalism, if it weren't for the snow on her nose and the bright pink coat she had borrowed from Anna. "Hello, Uncle Kai. What a pleasant surprise to see you out here. What brought you outside in such cold weather?"

The man chuckled, running a hand through his receding hair. "Little Jack wanted to see the snowmen, but your mother would have none of that. So, I made some sort of excuse and snuck him out. It's not right for a kid to be locked up inside all the time. But never mind that, I didn't expect to see you here for the holiday! What's it been, three years?"

"Closing in on four, yes. Who's this Little Jack that you mentioned? It seems our family has grown quite a bit in my absence," Elsa said, gesturing towards all of the cars parked in the driveway. She hadn't counted, but there were certainly more than ten lined up.

Kai looked at Elsa, hesitating before responding. "You don't know Jack?" he asked, his voice soft and wavering. "Your mother didn't tell you?"

Elsa felt her stomach fill with dread. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Anna, worried and reaching out but afraid to actually provide comfort. Elsa reached towards Anna, pulling the girl close, though not close enough for their bodies to touch, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She fought against the urge to puke, worrying more about Kai's words than about Anna.

"Uncle Kai," Elsa said, surprised at how level she sounded. "Who is Jack?"

"Jack is... Jack is your brother. Three years old," Kai said, turning to look for the boy. Once spotted, Kai called him over and the boy came running. The boy had messy brown hair and seemed tall for his age, though he might have just seemed bigger from all the snow gear he wore.

Elsa froze. For several moments, she forgot to even breathe. It wasn't until Anna reached up to touch Elsa's shoulder that she could react. "My... My brother? I have a brother? Why didn't Mother tell me?"

"Did you make the snowmen?"

Anna jumped and looked down, seeing the little boy tugging at her pants. "Did you? Did you? Cuz - cuz I like 'em. They're super duper cool!"

Anna smiled at the boy, but was cut off from responding by a shrill voice cutting through the air. Anna winced – the series of (rather unfortunate) events was far too reminiscent of her childhood.

"Jack Winters, you get back in here right now!"

Elsa looked past Kai, seeing her mother standing on the porch. The woman stood tall and proud, her brown hair falling just above her shoulders. Elsa could almost see her angry blue eyes and she remembered the way they would always harden and chill when she was upset. A shiver ran down her spine, but it wasn't because she was cold. She gritted her teeth as her mother began walking down the steps and towards them.

"Elsa," the woman said coldly once she was close enough to speak in a normal voice. The boy, Jack, ran up to her, holding his arms up. She picked him up without thinking, sitting him on her hip as she spoke with her daughter.

"Hello, Mother. It's been a while, but there has been plenty of opportunity to tell me about this... development," Elsa said, gesturing to Jack. "I might have liked to play a part in my brother's life."

"There was no need," Elsa's mother said. "Though, I suppose it would have been prudent to let you know that he will be taking over the company in your stead."

"Fantastic," Elsa said without a hint of sarcasm. "I didn't want that bastard's company anyway."

Elsa's mother hesitated. "Do not speak of your father that way," she said softly.

"He is not my father, I know that for a fact now, and I will speak of the bastard as I please." Elsa felt a sick sort of pleasure, watching her mother squirm in front of her.

"Elsa," the woman stressed, glancing between her two children. "This is why I stopped allowing you at family functions. You can't spread lies about my husband and expect to be treated well!" She paused, looking between Elsa and Anna as if seeing the younger girl for the first time. "Why are you here anyway? Surely you don't expect to take part in our celebrations?"

Elsa scoffed, squeezing Anna's shoulder. "Mother, I'm on this side of the property line for a reason. I will be spending Christmas with Anna, her mother, and my roommate. You don't have to worry about me crashing your party."

"Anna? Ah, the little neighbor girl. After all that effort I went to to keep you away from her, it seems her _family_-" the woman sneered "- has infected you anyway. Take care not to ruin your father's reputation any further."

"Infected?" Anna spat, drawing the attention of both Kai and Elsa's mother. "Do you have a _problem _with my family?"

"_Lesbians_-" another sneer "-Have no place in this world outside of mental institutions. Which, if I recall correctly, one of your mothers is in. At least one of them is where they belong."

"You bitch!" Anna shouted, lunging toward's Elsa's mother. The only thing holding her back was Elsa's grip on her coat. "You bitch, how _dare _you!"

Elsa pulled back on Anna's jacket, dragging the girl towards the house. "Anna, it's not worth it! Let's go, leave them to their miserable party." She looked at her Uncle, giving him a sad smile. "It was nice to see you, Uncle Kai, pity we couldn't spend more time together."

"Quite a pity indeed," Kai said, nervously running his hand through his hair again. "Have a merry Christmas, you two. Enjoy it enough for all three of us, would you?"

"Kai!" Elsa's mother snapped. "That's enough, we're going back inside. The last thing we need is for Jack to be exposed to this filth."

"Yes, sister," Kai said regretfully, turning to follow the woman back to the house. He waved sadly at Anna and Elsa as he left.

Elsa dragged a fuming Anna back towards their house, catching Kristoff's eye in the process. Anna was surprisingly quiet, her arms crossed over her chest and her brow furrowed so heavily that it almost hurt. She was silent as she removed her boots and jacket in the entryway.

Somewhere between the front door and the living room, Anna's pants had disappeared as usual. The girl threw herself into the recliner in front of the fireplace as Kristoff and Elsa sat themselves on the couch. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Kristoff not quite sure what was going on.

"You know what, Elsa? Your mom's a bitch," Anna finally said.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Elsa replied.

* * *

_A/N: Woo, we've broken the 50 follower mark! Thanks to all of you! At this rate, we'll break ASiS numbers by chapter 200!  
_

_Anyway, meet Elsa's family! Well, her mother, uncle, and brother at least. Shit's going to continue to go down next chapter, because who doesn't want their Christmas day filled with drama?_

_See you next week!_

_~Matt_


	21. Chapter 20

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 20

After the incident with Elsa's mother, Anna and Elsa chose to stay inside for the rest of the day. Kristoff was with them the majority of the time, though he did have to take Sven outside on a regular basis. The three students had the dining room table cleared off and were working on putting a large puzzle together. The box sat on its side at the end of the table so that they could see what exactly they were doing - not that it helped. They were two hours in and had barely gotten the edges put together.

"Kristoff, you dumbass, that's clearly part of the bottom green section! Why are you trying to fit it in the top blue?"

"Are you color blind, Anna? That piece is obviously blue! Seriously, what world are you in where that piece is green?"

Elsa sighed, setting her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand. She looked at the piece her friends were fighting over, and it was clear to her that it belonged in the middle purple section. She chose not to speak up, instead settling for watching the pair argue. They were very animated, arms and gestures flying everywhere. Elsa expected one of them to flip the table sooner or later. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she realized that they weren't even arguing about the puzzle anymore and were instead setting up to arm wrestle.

Surprisingly enough, Anna won quickly, slamming Kristoff's hand into the table. "I told you!" she shouted, a smug grin on her face. "Don't doubt the strength of a mechanic! Do you even do anything when you're at the gym, Kristoff?"

"Your mom," Kristoff grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting.

"Careful," Anna said sharply, any sign of amusement disappearing from her face. She pointed a finger at Kristoff's face. "The last guy who talked about my mom had himself a black eye for two weeks." With that, she poked her friend in the nose and sat back down, grin returning as she picked up another puzzle piece.

"And the last woman who did almost ended up getting her head torn off," Elsa commented, idly fitting a piece into the top right corner of the puzzle.

"A rightfully sensitive topic," Kristoff said. He shrugged and picked up another piece from the pile on the table, looking at it closely before trying to fit it in with the piece Elsa had just put down. Sadly, it wasn't even close – in fit or color.

By the time Teresa returned home, the puzzle was about a quarter of the way done. Elsa had done most of the work, though Anna had found a piece that fit here and there. Kristoff was still trying to figure out the difference between the green and blue pieces, holding on to one in hopes that he would find out where it went before it was the last piece.

"Anna," Teresa called as she took off her shoes. "There are groceries in the trunk of my car, could you bring them in please?"

"Sure thing, mom!" Anna called back, pushing herself and her chair away from the table before standing up. "Come on, Kristoff, take a break from the puzzle and help me out. I can smell your brain melting inside your head."

Kristoff sighed and set his puzzle piece aside - away from the rest, of course, so that he could come back to it later. He followed Anna out the front door and to Teresa's car, which was parked next to Kristoff's truck in the driveway. Walking around to the trunk, he saw that it was full to the brim with bags of groceries.

"Wow, your mom knows us too well," Kristoff said lightly. "This might be enough to last us through tomorrow, eh?"

"Dear God, Kristoff's going Canadian on us," Anna muttered, the grin on her face betraying her and assuring Kristoff that it was just a joke. She loaded up her arms with plastic bags, taking five in each and leaving two for her friend to grab.

Kristoff stared at the two bags remaining in the car and then looked at Anna, who was stumbling towards the front door, leaning heavily forward trying to balance all of the extra weight she was carrying. "You're ridiculous," he said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. He quickly grabbed the two remaining bags and shut the trunk before jogging up behind Anna.

Elsa watched in amusement from her spot at the table as Anna stumbled into the house, arms laden with shopping bags. When she saw Kristoff, she raised an eyebrow. "I thought you went out to help, Kris," she said.

"I am helping!" Kristoff argued. "She grabbed all those on her own before I had a chance!"

"And I'd have grabbed all of them if I didn't feel bad for you," Anna said, setting the bags down on the kitchen floor. "Do you want help with dinner, mom?"

"Anna," Teresa said, eyebrow raised, "what happened the last time you helped me cook?"

Anna hesitated, thinking. "Was that the time we had to call the fire department, or was that the time before?"

"Since you have to ask, the answer is no. No, I don't want your help with dinner," Teresa said light-heartedly. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll take Kristoff as my sous chef instead."

Anna heaved a sigh, her shoulders slumped forward and her head hanging. "I see how it is," she said dejectedly, walking back to the dining table to sit with Elsa. Once sitting in her chair, she looked up to Elsa with a grin. "See, Elsa," Anna stage-whispered, "that's how you get out of any kind of kitchen responsibilities."

"You're not getting out of doing the dishes though," Teresa said, digging through the grocery bags. Kristoff rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and washed his hands before helping Teresa get things into the fridge and cupboards. Taking a break from the puzzle, Elsa dug through her bag that sat next to the couch and pulled out an iPod and speakers.

"What kind of day is it?" Elsa asked, scrolling through her playlists. "I don't have Christmas music on here, so that's not an option."

"Today's a good day for Disney," Kristoff called out, his voice muffled by the fridge. Elsa looked up, curious as to why he sounded so far away, and bit back a laugh as she saw him practically up to his waist inside the fridge.

"When is it not a good day for Disney?" Elsa commented, selecting a playlist and turning the speakers on. She set them on the edge of the table closest to the kitchen so that everyone could hear and she could still work on the puzzle.

By the time dinner was ready, Anna and Elsa had almost finished the puzzle. There was only a single piece missing, near the center of the image, and said piece was sitting off to the side right where Kristoff had left it. Table settings were piled on the corner of the table, awaiting the finishing and consequent demolishing of the puzzle that covered more than half of the tabletop.

"Oi, Kristoff!" Anna shouted above the music. "Are you gonna finish this puzzle or what?"

Kristoff glanced out of the kitchen, a ceramic baking dish in his oven-mitt covered hands. "You guys left my piece out for me?" he asked, walking to the table with the dish still in hand. "Anna, pull a trivet out so I can set this down."

Anna complied, bringing over several trivets so that they would have enough for the rest of dinner. Kristoff set the dish down and Anna peeked inside of it, mouth watering at the scent of freshly baked biscuits. Kristoff took his oven mitts off, grabbed his piece, and triumphantly placed it in the open spot that was left for him. "Hah," he gloated, "I told you that piece was purple."

Anna rolled her eyes, not wanting to start another argument. Instead she simply started taking the puzzle apart, tossing the pieces back into the box. When she was done, the box went back into the closet with her other puzzles and board games and the table was set for dinner. Elsa assisted in the table setting and making sure that each hot dish was on a trivet.

"No Rapunzel tonight?" Elsa asked as the four finally sat down to eat. She had put the music away for the time being, wanting to have a nice, quiet dinner.

"Nah, she and her mom are doing whatever it is they do. She'll be over in the morning, bright and early to wake us up. You guys are staying the night, right? Cause we get up really early for presents and I wouldn't want you to miss that because I have presents for both of you and I think mom does too and Rapunzel might have even gotten you something so we don't want to open presents without you but if you guys go home then you'll be too late when you come over and - and - and -" Anna finally stopped to breathe and saw Elsa chuckling.

"Yes, Anna, the plan was to stay the night," Elsa said, hiding her smile behind a hand. "Don't worry, we'll be up bright and early for presents."

Anna cheered silently, grinning from ear to ear.

"Anna, can you please start dishing up and passing things this way?" Teresa asked, fingers tapping on the table impatiently. "I had a long day full of difficult people and I am so ready to eat a nice, warm, home cooked meal."

Anna nodded, loading her plate up with food before passing dishes towards her mother. "Why'd you have to work today anyway? It's a holiday for God's sake, they should let you spend time with your family!"

"When the police need psychiatric evaluations, they need psychiatric evaluations, Anna. Half of the police force doesn't even get tomorrow off, you know."

"You do psych evals for the police?" Elsa asked as dishes were passed to her. "That's really impressive! How did you get into that line of work?"

"Claire and I both majored in Psychology for our undergrad, but we went separate directions after that. She wanted to be a clinical psychiatrist, which meant several more years in school. One of us had to support the other, so I just got my Master's in psych with a focus on law enforcement. Once I was done with track and field, it didn't matter much where I ended up so long as I was able to support Claire on her path. Law enforcement was a good field to choose because there's never a lack of jobs there." Teresa said, smiling softly.

"Wait, wait, wait - track and field? You're _that _Teresa?" Kristoff asked, grabbing two biscuits from the pan he was just handed.

"That Teresa?" Elsa echoed, confused.

"Teresa Stevens, the Olympic hurdles runner! First openly lesbian American Olympic runner! I literally wrote a paper about you in high school, Teresa, I can't believe that you're... I mean... Well... Wow," Kristoff said, sitting back in his chair and staring in awe at Teresa. "I'm seeing you in a whole new light."

"I wasn't anything particularly special, Kristoff," Teresa said. "I ran several races and only placed in one of them - even then it was just third place."

"But third place at the Olympics!" Kristoff argued, throwing his hands up in the air. "You were third best in the _world_! I never thought I'd meet an Olympic athlete, let alone cook with one and eat at the same table on Christmas Eve! I think I might cry."

"Go ahead," Anna said between mouthfuls of food, "I won't judge."

* * *

It was late by the time the Summers household was quiet. Anna had kept them up playing board games and putting puzzles together, sipping at hot chocolate and slowly devouring the pie Teresa had warmed up in the oven. Kristoff curled himself up on the couch first, Sven sleeping at his feet. Elsa and Anna finally climbed into their beds a little past one in the morning, Anna dreading having to wake up in two hours to take her medicine.

Elsa laid on her side, facing Anna's bed. Impulsively, she reached up and fumbled around until her hand came in contact with Anna's. She tangled their fingers together, sighing contentedly. Anna squeezed her hand and she smiled.

"Elsa?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for being part of my family. I'm sorry it couldn't have been like this all the time."

"The past is in the past, Anna. Nothing to do but move forward and make up for lost time."

Anna squeezed Elsa's hand again, curling herself into a ball around it. "Happy Christmas, Elsa," she murmured as sleep finally began to overtake her.

"Happy Christmas, Anna," Elsa whispered.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, this time I **promise** we're getting to Christmas Day. This chapter just dragged on for so long that I had to cut it off at some point. I try to keep my chapters around 1500 words, but they keep getting longer on me. We're learning more about Teresa and the rest of Anna's family - expect to see more of that in the next few chapters. _

_As always, thanks for reading and I look forward to any reviews that come my way! See you Thursday!  
_

_Much love,_

_~Matt_


	22. Chapter 21

Lowest on the Totem Pole

Chapter 21

"Wakey wakey, cuz!"

Elsa sat up in her bed just as Rapunzel jumped over her and onto Anna, squealing and tickling the redhead. Elsa noticed that her hand still gripped Anna's and to her surprise, her stomach seemed to be fine.

"Augh, Rapunzel, get off! Ohgod that tickles, stoppit, I need to pee, you're going to make me explode!" Anna flailed around under Rapunzel, kicking blankets and pillows everywhere but not once letting go of Elsa's hand. Once uncovered, Elsa could see her face was bright red, and it was clear that she really, really had to use the bathroom.

Elsa climbed out of her bed, pulling Anna along with her, straight out from under Rapunzel. "Go," Elsa said urgently, though she couldn't keep a smile off her face. "I'll hold her off, just run!"

"My knight in shining armor," Anna squeaked before dropping Elsa's hand and dashing off out of the room.

Elsa and Rapunzel looked at each other for a moment before laughing. "Good morning, Rapunzel," Elsa said picking a pillow up from the floor and tossing it back onto Anna's bed. "Is there a reason you're still in pajamas?"

"What's Christmas morning without duckling pajamas?" Rapunzel asked, shrugging. "Come on, no need to get dressed. Kristoff and Teresa are already awake, I made sure of that. It's time for presents!"

"I just hope there's coffee," Elsa mumbled as she followed Rapunzel out of the room, rubbing her eyes. "It's way too early to be awake without an IV drip of caffeine."

Luckily for Elsa (or, rather, luckily for everyone else), there was indeed a pot of coffee and three empty cups in front of it. She poured herself a cup and took a sip, sighing happily. She quickly finished half of the cup and topped it off before plodding into the living room to join Kristoff, Teresa, and Rapunzel. Elsa was surprised at the number of presents that sat under the tree - she had been sure there were only a few when they went to bed the previous night. She chose not to question it, though, and sat herself in the armchair.

Kristoff was kneeling in front of the fireplace, trying to start a new fire, both for atmosphere and warmth. He chuckled in triumph as everything caught just the way it was supposed to. He closed the gate in front of the fireplace and walked back over to the couch, where he sat between Rapunzel and Teresa.

Anna stumbled into the room last, a cup of coffee in hand which she promptly handed to Elsa before diving onto the floor and crawling under the Christmas tree with all of the presents. Before too long, Anna started tossing presents towards people, one at a time. Once everyone had a present, Anna crawled back out with her own. "These're all from mom," she said, smiling. "Except for yours, of course, yours is from Elsa," she said to Teresa.

Rapunzel opened hers first, revealing a new set of paintbrushes, for which she leaned over Kristoff to hug Teresa. Kristoff received a harness and leash for Sven - "It's too big now, but he'll grow into it," Teresa told him. "A harness will be better for him than a collar when he gets to be fully grown."

Elsa opened hers next, finding a book on architecture of ancient Rome. She flipped through the pages quickly before smiling at Teresa and thanking her. Anna tore hers open to find a baby blue turtleneck sweater that it looked like she would drown in. "You've been dressing like Claire recently. That was her favorite style of sweater when we were in college," Teresa said with a shrug.

Teresa opened her gift from Elsa as Anna dug through the pile to distribute a second round of presents. After discarding the wrapping paper, Teresa opened the box and gasped, pulling a Shun knife out to look at it.

"It's beautiful, Elsa," Teresa said, running her finger over the patterned blade.

"You're always cooking for us, Teresa, I thought you should have at least one high quality knife to use. That brand is supposed to last forever if it's taken care of properly."

"Thank you, Elsa, I'm touched," Teresa said as she put the knife back in its box. "I'll have to get some use out of it as I prepare dinner tonight."

At the end of it, there were only a few presents left, which Anna had been purposefully holding back. Four were small and flat, while two were tiny boxes. Rapunzel had received all manner of art supplies, as well as a new canvas bag from Elsa. Kristoff had dog toys that he was desperately trying to hide from Sven, and a new hat that he proudly wore on his head. Elsa had received the book as well as a couple of CDs from Rapunzel and a new winter coat from Kristoff. Anna was already wearing her new sweater, the quarter zipper all the way up to her chin and she had received the My Little Pony anthology comic from Kristoff ("Really, watching the show wasn't enough?") as well as a sketchbook from Elsa and a new puzzle from Rapunzel.

Anna dispersed the rest of the presents, each of her family members getting a small, flat one and one of the small boxes was tossed to Elsa, though is was addressed to both her and Kristoff. The other little box was for herself, but she set it aside for the moment. "You can all go ahead and open the flat one at once. They're all the same anyway," she said.

Kristoff and Rapunzel wasted no time tearing the wrapping paper away, revealing a small hardback book with a lopsided snowman on the cover.

"A Snowman in Summer," Elsa said softly, running a hand over the cover of her book. "By A.A. Summers."

"That's the one," Anna said, grinning. "It's the final draft, I've already sent it in for the competition. I just thought I'd get a few copies printed for you guys, in case I don't win, you know?"

"This is ridiculously cute," Rapunzel said, flipping through the pages. "I can feel myself getting diabetes as I speak. How could this not win?"

Anna blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Thanks, Rapunzel, that means a lot," she said. She fiddled with the wrapping paper on the box in her hands for a moment before giving in and tearing it open. Inside the box was a small key. She looked up at Elsa curiously and saw the older woman smiling.

"That's a key to our apartment," Elsa said. "You're welcome over any time, even when we're not there."

Anna chuckled, holding the key tightly. "Go on and open yours, then," she said, trying her hardest to hide the blush on her face.

Elsa did so, finding two similar keys in her own box. "They're for you and Kristoff, keys to this house," Anna said. "You guys are always welcome here, too. It's not much, but it's what we have to offer."

"It's perfect, Anna, thank you," Elsa said, her eyes stinging. "Thank you both."

As Teresa and Kristoff made breakfast, Anna, Elsa, and Rapunzel set to cleaning up the mess they had made of the living room. Amid the noise of cooking bacon and crinkling wrapping paper, Anna heard her mother's phone ring and dashed over to answer it.

"Yo, Teresa's phone," she said into the receiver. She was silent for a moment, before covering the receiver with her hand and poking her head into the kitchen. "Mom! Mom! Your phone, it's the hospital, they're calling about mom and they say that she can see us both today can we please go I need to tell them if we're showing up or not so-"

"Anna, I'm turning off the stove. We're going to go. Let them know we'll be there in an hour," Teresa said, pulling the pan of bacon off of the heating element.

"Aw, I just started cooking the pancakes, too," Kristoff grumbled as he turned the skillet off. "Or should I be staying here? This is kind of personal, after all."

"Don't be a dumbass, Kristoff," Anna said, handing Teresa's cell phone to her. "You're part of our family, too. It's time to meet your mother!"

Once she was sure everything was safe in the kitchen, Teresa stepped past Anna into the living room. "Everyone needs to get dressed now," she said, "we're leaving as soon as possible." She caught Rapunzel's eye, smiling. "All of us."

* * *

_A/N: It's finally time to meet Claire! Are you excited, cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited! Claire's one of my favorite characters to work with, so I've been impatiently awaiting the time to actually write her in.  
_

_Thanks as always for reading, leave a review for me so I know what you're thinking! See you Tuesday!_

_~Matt_


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